Musk Admits SpaceX Throttled Ukraine’s Starlink and Accuses Kyiv of Violating Terms as Service Is Restored
Ukraine said Saturday that Starlink and Starshield service had returned to the speeds its military needs, hours before SpaceX chief Elon Musk said his company had throttled the service and accused Ukraine's military of using it for drone strikes that violate its terms.
Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links is back at the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted front-line operations for more than a week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that the restoration began overnight and was sufficient by Saturday morning. He said the restored service matters for frontline logistics and for defense against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
Hours after Ukraine announced the restoration, SpaceX chief Elon Musk said his company had throttled the service. “Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” Musk wrote on X. “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 the United States government controlled whatever changes were made to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink that forms the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communications. He also defended the role SpaceX has played in bolstering Ukraine’s defenses since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Kyiv disputes Musk’s account
Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said Kyiv was “physically unable” to use Starlink for long- and medium-range attack drone operations. He said Ukraine did not rely on Starlink for long-range drone operations inside Russia, including attacks on oil refineries, which he said operated at speeds of no more than 70 to 90 kph. Ukraine’s general staff and defense ministry did not immediately comment on Musk’s allegation, according to AnewZ.
Ukrainian officials said the restrictions had capped Starshield operations at 160 kph, hampering efforts to intercept Russian attack drones and forcing the cancellation of some military operations. On Saturday, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported that the connection remained stable at more than 400 kph.
Who ordered the slowdown remains disputed
Questions have persisted since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the satellite system Ukraine has relied on for years. President Donald Trump has maintained that he did not make the call, while also saying Musk should not be blamed. Vice President J.D. Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement. AnewZ noted that Reuters has reported the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House.
The restoration follows a new diplomatic push to end the war. Russia agreed on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month, and on Friday Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a localized ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump around Oleshky, a war-damaged town in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.
Fighting continued on Saturday. Local officials said a missile attack on the city of Lozova in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed one man and wounded two others, and Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces hit a chemical plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti and an electronics plant in the city of Oryol.
Reporting based on coverage by The Hindu BusinessLine and AnewZ.
