Ukraine officials dispute Musk's claim that Starlink enabled drone strikes

Ukrainian officials rejected Elon Musk's claim that their military broke Starlink terms of service by using the system for lethal drone strikes. The dispute centers on whether the satellite technology, a commercial product, was properly utilized for offensive operations.

Musk stated on Saturday that using Starlink to kill people was never permitted. He argued that Starshield, a separate military variant controlled by the United States, was the appropriate channel for such use. According to Musk, Ukraine closed this loophole by violating the commercial agreement.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, disputed the narrative in a Sunday post. He noted that all Starlink terminals in Ukrainian territory, including Russian-occupied areas, faced a movement speed limit. Beskrestnov specified that this cap ranged from 70 to 90 kilometers per hour.

Beskrestnov described the use of faster drones on the network as physically impossible due to these existing restrictions. He added that the service does not function over Russian territory. A former Ukrainian official also denied the accusation, stating that previous limits imposed by SpaceX already prevented the military from using the system as Musk described.

Ukrainian officials have previously accused SpaceX of throttling access to Starshield. This military version of the service is available to Ukraine through a deal with the US government. The current controversy began nearly two weeks ago when SpaceX imposed a new restriction on drone speeds.

Zelenskyy said over the weekend that the new satellite restrictions have been lifted. This move may end the recent dispute over the use of the satellite network for military purposes.