Ukraine counters Musk: Starlink speed caps already blocked fast drones

Elon Musk accused Ukraine of breaking Starlink terms by using the civilian system for lethal drone attacks.

On Saturday, Musk claimed that Ukraine’s military used the commercial service for offensive strikes to kill people. He stated that this practice was not allowed and that the loophole was closed the previous week. Musk distinguished Starlink from Starshield, noting that the latter is a military variant controlled by the US government.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rejected the accusation in a Sunday Telegram post. Beskrestnov argued that all Starlink terminals over Ukrainian territory were subject to a movement speed limit of 70 to 90 kilometers per hour. He described the use of the network for faster offensive drones as physically impossible under those constraints.

Beskrestnov also noted that Starlink does not function over Russian territory, including areas occupied by Russia. A former Ukrainian official supported this view, stating that previous SpaceX restrictions had already prevented the specific usage Musk described. Ukrainian officials have separately accused Musk of throttling access to Starshield, the military variant Ukraine accesses through a US government deal.

The dispute began nearly two weeks ago when SpaceX imposed a restriction on drones flying above certain speeds. Over the weekend, Zelenskyy announced that the new satellite restrictions have been lifted. This move may conclude the controversy, though the specific terms of the speed limits and their application remain points of technical discussion between the parties.