Ukraine disputes Elon Musk’s claim that its military violated Starlink terms during drone operations
Ukraine challenged Musk’s claim that its military violated Starlink terms, arguing that commercial Starlink limits prevented medium- and long-range strike use.
Key points
- A Ukrainian defense technology advisor disputes Elon Musk's claim that Ukraine's military violated Starlink's terms of service.
- The advisor says existing speed limits and coverage gaps made the described drone strikes physically impossible.
- Ukraine says high-speed Starlink and Starshield service was restored on Saturday after restrictions disrupted its drone operations.
A Ukrainian official has contested SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's claim that Ukraine's military violated Starlink's terms of service, which he said led the company to restrict Ukraine's access to the high-speed satellite technology.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote in an online post on Sunday that the allegation does not hold up. Ukrainian officials have said the restrictions disrupted the country's military drone services and left it vulnerable to Russian attacks.
What the advisor said
Musk wrote on X on Saturday that the "Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people." Beskrestnov responded on Telegram that pre-existing limits would have made such strikes impossible.
He said Starlink's civilian system in Ukraine does not work over Russian territory and that Ukrainian drones using it have been capped at 70 to 90 km/h for months. He wrote that it is therefore "physically impossible" to use commercial Starlink for deep-strike or medium-range operations.
It is very strange that Elon Musk is unaware of the operational limitations of Starlink in Ukraine.
— Serhii Beskrestnov
Restored service and alternatives
Ukrainian officials acknowledged on Saturday that high-speed service for Starlink and Starshield, SpaceX's military-focused network, had been restored. They said the restrictions had hurt drone air defense during frequent Russian air attacks.
Musk has not explained why Ukraine was reportedly not notified before the restrictions took effect, and SpaceX did not respond to CNBC's requests for comment. The episode has pushed Ukraine and its allies to pursue alternative satellite systems, including work with Norway, Finland's Nokia and satellite maker ICEYE; the EU's IRIS² constellation is not expected to launch until 2029.
