Ukraine's Starlink restored as Elon Musk claims Kyiv violated terms of service 'to kill people'
Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's access to Starlink after accusing the country of violating the service's terms by using it for drone strikes to kill people.
Elon Musk on Saturday defended SpaceX's decision to restrict Ukraine's access to Starlink, claiming the country violated the service's terms by using it for "offensive drone strikes to kill people." The tech billionaire announced that Starlink service has been restored to Ukraine after more than a week of speed restrictions that disrupted the country's war effort against Russia.
"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. "That loophole was closed last week." He explained that Starshield, a different system controlled by the U.S. government, is what Ukraine should use for such purposes.
Musk's Defense
Musk emphasized Starlink's critical importance to Ukraine's defense, stating it remains "the only system that cannot be jammed or blown up, at least for now." He claimed that "SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR."
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.
Blame Game
Last week, Musk had blamed the U.S. military for imposing the restrictions, writing that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." However, he did not specify whether President Trump or other officials personally authorized the new restriction.
A source familiar with the situation told Fox News that Ukraine received no advance warning before the restrictions took effect overnight. Ukrainian forces discovered the change after experiencing connectivity problems and contacting SpaceX customer support, where they were told Starshield service would be restricted on platforms traveling at speeds of 100 mph or higher.
Political Fallout
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the U.S. of "betrayal" over the Starlink restrictions. On Saturday, President Trump confirmed he had spoken with Musk about the issue but declined to elaborate on the conversation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied that the U.S. government was responsible for slowing Ukraine's Starlink service. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that it had regained broader access to Starlink, with connections remaining stable at speeds of 250 mph.
The restrictions came amid renewed hope for Ukraine and Russia to reach a resolution in the war. Russia agreed to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month, while Zelenskyy expressed openness to ending the war by freezing the fighting along current front lines.
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