Ukraine misused Starlink for offensive drone strikes, says Musk as service restored

Ukraine said Starlink and Starshield returned to required speeds after restrictions disrupted military operations. Elon Musk alleged that Ukrainian forces breached service terms through offensive drone strikes.Elon Musk accused Ukraine’s military of misusing Starlink for offensive drone strikes, as the satellite system returned to normal operating speeds in the country. (File photos: Reuters)Ukraine said on Saturday that Starlink and its military version, Starshield, had returned to normal operating speeds after more than a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations. Hours later, Elon Musk, who owns the satellite systems, accused the Ukrainian military of violating their terms of service by using them for offensive drone attacks.“Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week,” Musk said in a post on X. Ukrainian officials did not immediately respond publicly to the allegation.Correct. Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be. Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them. Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week. Starlink remains critical to the defense of Ukraine, as it is the only system that cannot be jammed or blown up, at least for now. Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. This is NOT a threat, it is simply a statement of fact. Starlink was also crucial to preventing Russia from overrunning Ukraine in the early days of the war, as all other means of communication were destroyed or jammed by Russia. SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR. That said, I have nothing but UTTER CONTEMPT for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict. May you burn in hell. End of story.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 24, 2026President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the systems had resumed operating at the speeds Ukraine needed. The restrictions, which capped speeds at 160 kph, had hampered efforts to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some military operations."The main thing for today is that Starlink and Starshield have resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds. The speeds are now at the level we need," he said on the Telegram app. RESTRICTIONS DISRUPTED MILITARY OPERATIONSStarlink is crucial to Ukrainian frontline communications, while Starshield-enabled medium-range attack drones have helped Kyiv gain ground in several areas this year. Ukraine, however, does not rely on the systems for long-range drone attacks on Russian territory, including strikes on oil refineries.The restrictions also coincided with disruptions to allied warnings about incoming Russian missile attacks, sparking anger in Kyiv. Ukraine later said it continued to receive US intelligence.DISPUTE OVER WHO ORDERED RESTRICTIONS Neither Musk nor the US government has publicly acknowledged responsibility for the restrictions, with both indicating that the other could have ordered them. Reuters has reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from within the White House.The dispute unfolded amid broader tensions over US policy towards the war. The restrictions followed President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal to buy Russian diesel while pressing Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries.On Friday, Trump said he would “get it straightened out” if problems with the satellite systems persisted, despite previously saying their operations had been fully restored.- EndsWith inputs from Reuters