Ukraine disputes Elon Musk’s claim that its military violated Starlink terms during drone operations

A Ukrainian official disputed SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's claim that Ukraine's military violated Starlink's terms of service, prompting the company to restrict Ukraine's access to the high-speed satellite technology. Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote an online post on Sunday contesting Musk's reason for temporarily throttling Ukraine's access to high-speed service from SpaceX's Starlink satellite communication systems. Ukrainian officials previously said the restrictions disrupted the country's military drone services and left the country vulnerable to Russian attacks. Musk on Saturday claimed in a post on X that the "Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people." Beskrestnov pushed back on Musk's allegation, arguing that pre-existing restrictions on the systems would have made it "physically impossible" for Ukraine to use Starlink in the types of strikes the SpaceX CEO described. "It is very strange that Elon Musk is unaware of the operational limitations of Starlink in Ukraine," Beskrestnov wrote in a post on Telegram, noting that Starlink's civilian system in Ukraine "does not function over the territory of Russia" and that Ukrainian drones operating with Starlink have had a speed restriction of 70 to 90 km/h (roughly 43 to 56 miles per hour) for months. "Consequently, it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for us to use commercial Starlink for deep-strike or medium-range strike operations," Beskrestnov wrote. Ukraine officials acknowledged on Saturday that high-speed service for SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield satellite communications systems had been restored. The country has blamed that restricted service for disrupting its drone air defense capabilities during frequent Russian air attacks. Starshield is SpaceX's military-focused satellite network for government and national security use, built on technology developed for Starlink, the company's broader commercial satellite internet network. Before Musk acknowledged that he had restricted the systems, confusion and speculation abounded over who ordered the high-speed service changes. At one point, Musk wrote in a social media post that the U.S. government was behind the decision, though President Donald Trump claimed he had no knowledge of the decision. Ukrainian officials have also said Starlink or the U.S. had imposed the restrictions without warning, leaving the country blindsided. Musk has not explained the reported lack of notification to Ukraine before his company implemented the restrictions. Musk and SpaceX did not respond to CNBC's requests for comment. The restrictions on Starlink and Starshield in war-torn Ukraine have driven Ukraine and its allies to seek or build alternative, "sovereign" satellite communication systems. Poland's Deputy Minister of National Defense, Cezary Tomczyk, discussed his country's plans on a podcast called Influence Zone (Strefa Influenceów) earlier this month. Ukraine also announced partnerships with Norway and Finland's mobile giant Nokia, as well as satellite maker ICEYE, to develop alternatives. Beyond Ukraine, several countries are also exploring sovereign systems. The European Union is building IRIS², a constellation of hundreds of satellites, but it doesn't expect its first launches until 2029. SpaceX's Starlink generated $5.25 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2026, up from $3.1 billion a year earlier. Revenue from consumer Starlink subscribers totaled $3.12 billion, while the company generated $2.13 billion from government and enterprise customers during the quarter. A wide array of customers, including non-government entities, the governments of Poland and France, and the Pentagon, have paid SpaceX to provide its Starlink and Starshield hardware and wireless internet services to Ukraine.