A top Ukrainian official has hit back at claims from SpaceX chief Elon Musk that Kyiv's military used the commercial Starlink satellite network for offensive drone strikes against Russian forces.
Musk said on Saturday Ukraine had "violated Starlink terms of service" by using the civilian system for lethal attacks, saying this "loophole" was closed earlier this month as Ukrainian drone pilots suddenly found their unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could only fly at significantly reduced speeds.
Ukraine said its access to Starshield, Starlink's military-grade sister system, had been curbed, hampering its ability to take out Russian logistics, munitions depots and command-and-control centers up to 125 miles from the front line as well as operate air defenses.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, called Musk's remarks "very strange" on Sunday, and said Ukraine cannot use Starlink for strikes beyond the immediate front line.
...
Starlink does not work over Russian soil, and is capped as low as 70 kilometers per hour over Ukraine, including Moscow-held areas of Ukraine, Beskrestnov said.
These speeds are far lower than those needed for Ukrainian drone pilots to effectively attack Russian targets.
Newsweek has reached out to SpaceX for comment via email.
Ukrainian Reliance on US
There's currently no real alternative to Starshield or Starlink for Ukraine. Ukrainian forces mostly use the general Starlink network for communications and data transfers, rather than guiding strikes on the battlefield.
"Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately," Musk said on Saturday. "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."
Alongside restrictions on satellite connectivity, Kyiv said earlier this month the usual intelligence data on often devastating Russian ballistic missile strikes leveled at its major cities wasn't coming through. The U.S. denied choking intelligence flows.
Together, these incidents hammered home how much Kyiv still depends on the U.S. to fight Russia, even after pushing self-sufficiency and when President Donald Trump and his administration openly criticize the Ukrainian leader and relations are at their most strained.
It's still not clear who ordered the restrictions on Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield access. Musk has maintained the U.S. government make the calls on Starshield use, while U.S. administration officials said the White House wasn't responsible for the limits.
Zelensky said the U.S. had sent a "message" by throttling Starshield and Starlink connections. The White House has pushed for fresh peace talks between Russia and Ukraine—a key election pledge from 2024—ahead of next month's midterms, while also seeking to blame Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for soaring fuel prices for U.S. consumers.
Washington previously blocked Kyiv's access to U.S.-derived intelligence streams in early 2025 as the White House attempted to force progress in peace talks.
Three-way negotiations between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow are expected to restart next month.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 140 drones and four missiles overnight, Ukraine's air force said early Monday.
When probed about drone attacks on Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said picking up peace talks once again "does not imply any restrictions on military action."
Meanwhile, the governor of Russia's Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine, said on Monday more than 100 drones had been detected overnight, with the majority shot down directly over the region's main city. Two people were killed and 17 others injured as drone debris fell on a train and fires broke out in several buildings, Alexander Gusev said in a post to social media.
How Is Starlink Different From Starshield?
Starlink is available to civilian buyers and the everyday consumer, and falls under SpaceX's remit.
But Musk has said Starshield systems are "owned and controlled" by the U.S. government, meaning "any limits on speed or usage" are dictated by the White House, and, ultimately, the U.S. president.
SpaceX says Starshield uses Starlink "to support national security efforts," but it uses more layers of encryption to meet "the most demanding government requirements."
What Has Trump Said?
Trump has distanced himself from decision-making about Starlink and Starshield access for Ukraine, telling reporters on Friday any further issues with connectivity would be resolved and that he would speak with Musk if problems persisted.
"Whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference," Trump said last week. "Bottom line, he [Musk] put it back."
"It wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon," Trump previously said when asked about who greenlit reducing Ukraine's access.
Vice President JD Vance said it was "understandable" if Musk did not want to wade into a major conflict without guidance from the White House.
"I don’t think this is about Elon. I think it’s fundamentally what is America’s policy in Ukraine and Russia going to be," Vance said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, separately said neither "the president of the United States nor anyone in our system ever requested that any changes to that system be made."
"The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk," Rubio added.
What Has Russia Said?
Shortly after news of the restrictions in Ukraine first emerged, Peskov said Russia had no information relating to the changes.
"Of course, it is better that space technologies such as Starlink are not put at the service of a military conflict," he added, according to Russian state media.
In September, the Kremlin said allowing Ukraine to use Starlink for operations inside Russian territory would be "a very damaging, potentially dangerous, and reckless step."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.