Elon Musk said Ukraine’s military used SpaceX’s commercial Starlink service for offensive drone strikes in violation of the company’s terms, a claim Ukrainian officials rejected as technically impossible as Kyiv said satellite links had been restored^1,3.

Musk wrote that using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes has never been allowed, that Starshield is controlled by the U.S. government, and that a loophole was closed last week^1,3. He cited a post by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referring to Starlink for mid-range strikes against military targets in occupied territory^1,3.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to Zelenskyy, said commercial Starlink terminals over Ukraine already faced a movement speed limit of about 70 to 90 kilometers per hour and do not work over Russia, so they cannot be used for deep or medium-range strikes^1,3. Serhii Sternenko, a former Defense Ministry adviser, said moving terminals had to be on a Starshield whitelist, making civilian Starlink unusable for drone missions^1,3.

Outlets noted that Ukrainian officials often use the names Starlink and Starshield interchangeably, which can blur whether a statement refers to the commercial or military system³. Ukraine has said it uses Starshield, the U.S. military-controlled variant, for offensive missions and Starlink for communications, logistics and air defense¹.

The dispute followed mid-October limits that cut connections when drones flew faster than about 160 kilometers per hour, or about 100 mph^2,4. Zelenskyy said Saturday that Starlink and Starshield operations had been restored to prior speeds, and Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Starshield was working above 400 kilometers per hour^1,3,4.

Musk had earlier said Starshield limits are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president; President Donald Trump has said he was not involved in throttling the service^1,3,4. Musk later argued Starlink must remain a civilian operation because offensive use could make the satellites a target, warning that destroying them could create debris that makes space unusable².

SpaceX said in 2023 that it had blocked Ukraine from using Starlink with military drones and that the contract did not allow offensive uses³. What remains disputed is whether Ukraine used commercial Starlink for strikes, who ordered the October speed caps, and how far restored Starshield service will go^1,2,3,4.