In brief
Elon Musk announced that SpaceX had restricted Ukraine’s use of its civilian Starlink internet after the country allegedly used it for offensive drone strikes. Ukrainian officials say the slowdown was resolved, but they did not address Musk’s claims. Musk clarified that the civilian network and the U.S.‑controlled Starshield system are separate, and he expressed that Starshield is under U.S. government control. The bandwidth cut happened during a dispute over Russian oil strikes and a Trump‑Musk exchange that pressured the company to reverse the throttle. Ukrainian forces now report a stable connection, enabling drone speeds over 400 km/h, while Steve Musk maintains that military use of Starlink for direct attacks violates its terms of service.
Elon Musk said SpaceX had cut Ukraine’s Starlink service after the country allegedly used the civilian internet for offensive drone strikes. The ban was lifted after Ukrainian officials claimed connectivity issues were fixed.
Ukraine’s defense ministry remains tight-lipped, but an adviser called Musk’s claim “very strange.” SpaceX denies deliberately throttling the network, noting that the slowdown coincided with a U.S.–Ukraine spat over Russian oil strikes.
Musk clarified that Starlink and the U.S.-controlled Starshield system are distinct. Starshield is managed by the U.S. government, he explained, and “what they decide to do is up to them.” He reiterated that civilian Starlink cannot be used for direct offensive attacks.
The restrictions included speed limits of 70‑90 km/h for Ukrainian terminals and no coverage over Russian territory. Ukrainian forces now report a “stable connection” that supports drone speeds above 400 km/h, a figure mentioned by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.
The incident escalated during a diplomatic standoff over Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries—a move that triggered sanctions and a temporary U.S. policy shift. Amid rising fuel prices, Trump waived some sanctions and facilitated a deal for Russian diesel, which critics say fuels the war effort.
