Elon Musk says SpaceX deliberately restricted Ukraine’s Starlink access amid Russia war
WASHINGTON, DC: Elon Musk admitted that SpaceX intentionally limited Ukraine’s access to its Starlink satellite internet after the team realized Ukrainian forces were using it for offensive drone strikes against Russian troops. He posted on X that the Ukrainian military had violated Starlink’s terms of service. SpaceX closed the loophole that allowed this use just a week before his post.
This followed reports that SpaceX throttled connection speeds on Ukrainian Starlink devices, hampering their ability to run military drone missions.
Elon Musk defends SpaceX's decision to restrict Starlink access
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Musk “capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the satellite-based network,” making defense drone usage all but impossible.
President Donald Trump initially denied knowing who ordered the slowdown, saying, “I don’t know who did it, but I was not involved.”
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump reached out to Musk, urging him to lift the restrictions after first claiming he wasn’t sure who had ordered the slowdown.
By Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Starlink was back up to its normal speeds and stressed how crucial the service is for frontline operations.
Musk ended any speculation Saturday, writing, “Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be. Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them.”
Correct. Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be. Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them. Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week. Starlink remains critical to the defense of Ukraine, as it is the only system that cannot be jammed or blown up, at least for now. Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. This is NOT a threat, it is simply a statement of fact. Starlink was also crucial to preventing Russia from overrunning Ukraine in the early days of the war, as all other means of communication were destroyed or jammed by Russia. SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR. That said, I have nothing but UTTER CONTEMPT for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict. May you burn in hell. End of story.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 24, 2026
He said, “Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week. SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR.”
“That said, I have nothing but UTTER CONTEMPT for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict. May you burn in hell.”
Musk criticized people calling for continued fighting without offering what he described as realistic solutions to the conflict.
Zelensky confirms service speeds restored
Zelensky confirmed Saturday that access was back up to speed.
“The most important thing today is that Starlink and Starshield operations have been restored to the speeds we had before the restrictions. The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelensky wrote on X. “The restoration began overnight, and by this morning, speeds were already sufficient. This matters: for our frontline logistics, for defending Ukraine against jet-powered ‘shaheds'.”
The most important thing today is that Starlink and Starshield operations have been restored to the speeds we had before the restrictions. The speeds are now where they need to be. The restoration began overnight, and by this morning, speeds were already sufficient. This matters: for our frontline logistics, for defending Ukraine against jet-powered “shaheds.” I thank all Americans and all our partners who took this seriously and truly helped – members of Congress, senators, all the media, the State Department, and the President. Protecting lives matters.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 24, 2026
“I thank all Americans and all our partners who took this seriously and truly helped – members of Congress, senators, all the media, the State Department, and the President. Protecting lives matters.”
These events really highlight how much SpaceX shapes Ukraine’s communications during the war, and just how much power a private company has over military efforts.
Musk claimed the restrictions were about stopping unauthorized attacks, but with Zelensky saying speeds are back to normal, it looks like they fixed the problem pretty quickly.
