‘Ukraine violated Starlink terms, used it to kill people’: Elon Musk admits imposing curbs after Kyiv's access restored

In a post on X, SpaceX founder Elon Musk clarified that he will not allow Starlink to be used for offensive drone strikes to kill people. Elon Musk on Saturday acknowledged that he took the decision to restrict Starlink satellite internet services in Ukraine, which the country relies on to counter attacks from Russia. His remarks came after Kyiv's access to the services was restored. Elon Musk reiterated in a post on X that Starlink's internet services cannot be used to fly drones which kill people. (REUTERS)In a post on X, Musk said that “using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be”.Ukraine had claimed last week that its access to Starlink and Starshield satellite services had been restricted, with speeds affected, disrupting frontline operations for more than a week. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed discontent with the move. However, Trump denied making the call. The US President later had said that he would speak to Musk if the issue persisted.Also Read | Biden, Trump administrations asked Musk to alter Starlink service in Ukraine, Middle East for years: ReportBut, Musk on Saturday clarified in his post that as far as Starshield access was concerned, the US government controlled any changes involving the military-grade version of Starlink, which is the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communications."Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them," Musk said.Why SpaceX curbed Ukraine's accessElon Musk said his company, SpaceX, restricted access to Starlink services because Ukraine had violated its terms of service by using the system for offensive drone strikes to kill people. He added that the loophole had been closed last week.Musk also said SpaceX had done more for Ukraine’s defence than any other private company in the world. He said the company had helped prevent Russia from overrunning Ukraine in the early days of the war by disrupting or jamming other means of communication used by Russia.“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,” Musk wrote.“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 story,” Musk concluded.Zelensky says satellite links restoredEarlier in the day, Zelensky said Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links had been restored to the speeds available before the curbs that disrupted frontline operations for more than a week.The episode added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington, a relationship already strained by Trump’s reported deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.Ukraine’s defence minister Yevhenii Khmara credited “direct dialogue” and Zelenskyy’s diplomacy with Washington for the outcome. He added that what mattered most was “for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics and communications.”Follow the latest breaking news, major developments and agenda-setting stories from India and around the world with the newsdesk at Hindustan Times. 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