Musk says he restricted Starlink in Ukraine
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on MyJoyOnline
Elon Musk says SpaceX restricted Ukrainian access to Starlink after the service was used for military operations. The connection was later restored, while the billionaire denies responsibility for disruptions to the Starshield military network, according to his public statements.
Elon Musk said SpaceX had restricted the Starlink internet service in Ukraine after Ukrainian officials reported that connectivity had been restored. The owner of SpaceX accused the Ukrainian military of using the civilian service for offensive drone strikes, in breach of its terms of use, according to a post published on Saturday on the X social network.
Elon Musk said this “loophole” had been closed the previous week, while denying responsibility for a simultaneous problem affecting Starshield, the military communications system controlled by the US government. Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov challenged his argument, saying that drones using Starlink in Ukraine are limited to a speed of 70 to 90 kilometres per hour and do not operate on Russian territory.
The statement came after a week of restrictions that Ukraine accused of hindering its defensive operations, followed by US President Donald Trump’s intervention, when he said he had asked Elon Musk to restore the service. On 25 October, Musk had already threatened to cut Starlink in Ukraine in a post devoted to that possibility.
