Musk Says SpaceX Restricted Ukraine’s Starlink Service, Citing Terms-of-Service Violations

Elon Musk has said his company, SpaceX, restricted Ukraine’s Starlink internet service, accusing Ukrainian forces of violating its terms of service by using the network for military activity.

Elon Musk says SpaceX restricted Ukraine’s Starlink service over alleged misuse, amid continuing questions about the effects on Ukrainian military operations. [Photo: Starlink X]

He denied responsibility for a simultaneous problem involving Starshield, the US government’s military-oriented satellite communications system. Aleks Phillips reported for BBC News.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov described Musk’s statement as “very strange.”

Musk had previously denied deliberately throttling Ukraine’s connection, which Ukrainian officials said had hampered military operations for more than a week.

The dispute emerged amid broader tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.

Musk’s latest comments, alongside reports that Starlink service had been restored, followed US President Donald Trump’s statement that he had told Musk to “put it back.” Trump had repeatedly denied instructing Musk to restrict the service.

“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 on Saturday.

He alleged that Ukraine’s military had violated Starlink’s terms of service by using the network for offensive drone strikes and said the loophole had been closed the previous week.

Beskrestnov disputed the implication that Ukraine could use commercial Starlink for long-range attacks.

He said drones operating through the service in Ukraine were subject to speed restrictions of 70 to 90 kilometers per hour and could not operate on Russian territory.

“Therefore, we physically cannot use commercial Starlink for deep strikes and medium-range strikes,” he wrote on Telegram, adding that Musk appeared unaware of the restrictions imposed on the service in Ukraine.

Ukraine uses Starlink for communications between military units, particularly in remote areas near the battlefield.

Starshield, a separate system designed for government and military customers and controlled by the US government, serves different operational requirements.

Although both systems rely on SpaceX satellite technology, their ownership, access controls and permitted uses are not identical. The dispute has raised questions about the dependence of Ukraine’s military communications on privately operated satellite infrastructure.