Musk shuts Starlink ‘loophole’ that let Kiev ‘kill people’
SpaceX has closed a loophole allowing Ukrainian military to use Starlink for offensive drone strikes, Elon Musk announced on Saturday, accusing Kiev of breaching terms of service.
The billionaire's harsh remarks come amid a deepening rift between Washington and Kiev, with US President Donald Trump accusing Zelensky of repeatedly rejecting opportunities to end the conflict and worsening global fuel shortages by attacking Russian oil infrastructure.
Musk distinguished the commercial Starlink network from Starshield, a separate military-grade system controlled by the US government. "What they decide to do is up to them," he said regarding Starshield.
Terms Violated
"Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be," Musk wrote on X. "Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week."
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.
Critical for Defense
Musk stressed that Starlink remains essential to Ukraine's military communications and battlefield survival. "Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately," he wrote, adding that the statement was "NOT a threat" but an assessment of the military's dependence on the network.
The SpaceX CEO emphasized that Starlink was 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," he claimed.
Political Fallout
The comments follow days of controversy over restrictions imposed on satellite services used by Ukrainian forces. Kiev claimed the slowdown had disrupted drone operations and initially suggested that Washington was responsible.
Trump denied that his administration had ordered the restrictions. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also rejected allegations of US government involvement, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Kiev against escalating the dispute.
On Saturday, Kiev announced that Starlink and Starshield had returned to their previous operating speeds, with Ukrainian officials thanking Trump and other American representatives for helping resolve the disruption.
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