Musk says Ukraine broke Starlink rules

Elon Musk told the public on Saturday that Ukraine had broken the rules for using Starlink. He claimed the country used the civilian satellite service for offensive drone strikes to kill people. This move followed a restriction SpaceX placed on the technology last week.

The limit prevented Ukrainian drones from using Starlink if they flew above certain speeds. Musk described this speed cap as the closure of a loophole. He stressed that Starlink is a commercial product, distinct from Starshield, which is the military variant controlled by the US government.

Musk wrote, "Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week." He added that the US government decides how Starshield is used, leaving the Starlink decision to SpaceX.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology advisor for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, disputed the claim. In a Telegram post on Sunday, he said the allegation was physically impossible. He noted that all Starlink terminals in Ukrainian territory were already subject to a movement speed limit of 70 to 90 kilometers per hour.

Beskrestnov also pointed out that Starlink does not function over Russian territory. One current and one former Ukrainian official supported this view, arguing that previous limits already stopped the military from using the system in the way Musk described. They accused Musk of throttling access to Starshield instead.

By the weekend, Zelenskyy stated that the new satellite restrictions had been lifted. This development may end a controversy that began almost two weeks ago. The dispute highlights the tension between commercial satellite providers and military users in active conflict zones.