Ukraine rejects Musk claim it misused Starlink for strikes

A senior Ukrainian official has rejected Elon Musk's claim that Ukraine's military broke Starlink's terms of service by using the civilian satellite network for offensive drone strikes. He said limits already built into the system in Ukraine made that kind of use "physically impossible". The exchange raises new questions about who ordered this month's slowdown of satellite links that Kyiv depends on for its drone operations and air defenses.spectrumlocalnews.com+1

Adviser cites speed and geographic limits

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, responded in a Telegram post on Sunday, Oct. 25. "It is very strange that Elon Musk is unaware of the operational limitations of Starlink in Ukraine," he wrote. He said the civilian Starlink system does not work over Russian territory. He added that for months, Ukrainian drones using it have been capped at 70 to 90 km/h, or about 43 to 56 mph. "Consequently, it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for us to use commercial Starlink for deep-strike or medium-range strike operations," Beskrestnov wrote. Newsweek reported that those speeds are far below what Ukrainian drone pilots need to hit Russian targets effectively.cnbc.com+1

Musk had said on Saturday, Oct. 24, that SpaceX throttled Starlink in Ukraine. "Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be," he wrote, adding that the "loophole was closed last week". He had earlier blamed the White House for the throttling.independent.co.uk+1

Who ordered the restrictions

Musk has said the U.S. government controls changes to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink that underpins Ukraine's drone operations. President Donald Trump has said he did not make that decision, while Vice President JD Vance has hinted that the White House coordinated with Musk. Ukraine said the Starshield limits hurt its ability to strike Russian logistics hubs and command centers up to 125 miles behind the front line, and to run air defenses. Commanders reported losing drones and having missions disrupted.yahoo.com+1

Service restored amid diplomatic push

Ukrainian officials said the speed caps were lifted on Saturday. Zelenskyy told TSN television that Starshield had been working at speeds of up to 420 km/h since early that morning, and that U.S. warnings of incoming ballistic missile strikes had been fully restored. The restored service came alongside a new U.S. effort to end the war. Russia agreed to resume three-way talks with Washington and Kyiv next month.independent.co.uk+1

Musk himself pointed to how much Ukraine relies on the system. "Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately," he said on Saturday.yahoo.com