SpaceX boss Elon Musk has blamed Ukraine for violating “Starlink terms of service” and using it to “kill people” after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was unable to use the satellite internet service.
On Saturday, Kyiv said Starlink and its military version, Starshield, were fully functional after more than a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations, amid rising tensions with the US.
Ukrainian Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said Ukraine was “physically unable” to use Starlink for long- and medium-range attack drone operations. The restrictions, which capped speeds at 160 kph, had hindered the interception of Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the systems were now operating at the speeds Ukraine needed. Hours later, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accused the Ukrainian military of violating Starlink’s terms of service by using it for offensive drone strikes.
In a post on X, Musk said, “Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.”
He also criticised those he labelld “virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict”. Musk said he had “nothing but utter contempt for them”, before ending with: “May you burn in hell”.
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, 2026
As of now, neither Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield using Starlink technology, has taken responsibility for imposing the restrictions on Starshield.
The restrictions came after US President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel while pressing Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries and proposed for an energy ceasefire between the two countries.
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Ukraine says Starshield returned to pre-restriction speed
Ukraine said Starlink and Starshield had returned to their pre-restriction speeds, after curbs hampered its ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said speeds began returning to normal overnight. The defence ministry said on Saturday that the connection was stable at more than 400 kph.
Ukraine does not rely on Starlink for long-range drone operations on Russian territory, including strikes on oil refineries, presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said. Such drones operate at speeds of 70-90 kph, he added.
However, Starlink remains vital for frontline communications, while fast, Starshield-enabled medium-range attack drones have helped Ukraine gain ground in several areas this year, according to a Reuters report.
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Receiving intelligence from US: Ukraine
On Friday, US President Donald Trump appeared to contradict an earlier statement that the services had been fully restored, saying he would “get it straightened out” if problems persisted.
Musk and US officials publicly blamed each other over who was responsible for the Starlink and Starshield restrictions. Reuters reported that the order to limit Starshield speeds came from within the White House. As per a report by Reuters, previous US administrations had also asked SpaceX to switch Starlink on or off in various countries.
The restrictions on Starshield coincided with disruptions to allied warnings about incoming Russian missile attacks. However, Ukraine later said it continued to receive US intelligence.
