Марія Бровінська 25 October 2026, 09:00

Musk accused Ukraine of violating Starlink rules by drone strikes. The Flash explained why this is impossible

SpaceX owner Elon Musk said that the Ukrainian military allegedly used commercial Starlink satellite communications for offensive drone strikes, violating the terms of service. According to him, the corresponding "loophole" was closed last week. Advisor to the President of Ukraine on defense technologies Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov responded by saying that due to technical limitations, commercial Starlink cannot be physically used for long-range and medium-range strikes.

What Elon Musk said

On October 24, Musk wrote on the social network X that the Ukrainian military allegedly violated the rules for using Starlink by using it for attack drone attacks.

"The Ukrainian military violated the terms of use of Starlink and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. This loophole was closed last week," he said.

Musk emphasized that Starlink is a civilian commercial system, and its use for such attacks, he said, has never been authorized.

He also distinguished between Starlink and Starshield, a military satellite communications system controlled by the US government. According to Musk, decisions on Starshield are made by American authorities.

At the same time, the businessman acknowledged the critical role of Starlink for Ukrainian defense. He stated that if the system were to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would supposedly collapse immediately, and called this a statement of fact, not a threat.

What did "The Flash" answer?

In response to Musk’s statement, Sergey Beskrestnov drew attention to the technical limitations of the commercial version of satellite communication.

“It is very strange that Elon Musk is unaware of the restrictions on Starlink operations in Ukraine,” he wrote.

According to Flash, starting in the winter of 2026, all commercial Starlink terminals over the territory of Ukraine, including temporarily occupied territories, will have a speed limit of approximately 70–90 km/h. In addition, Starlink does not operate over the territory of Russia.

That is why, Beskrestnov claims, the Ukrainian military physically cannot use commercial Starlink for long-range strikes — the so-called deep strike — and medium-range strikes, or middle strike.

What is Starshield and recent restrictions?

The dispute arose against the backdrop of problems with satellite communications that the Ukrainian military recorded after the introduction of restrictions in October.

On the night of October 14, SpaceX limited the speed of the terminals, which affected, in particular, the use of drones. According to the Ukrainian side, the equipment could lose communication while moving at speeds from approximately 72 to 161 km/h. This created problems for the operation of interceptor drones and the performance of certain military missions.

On October 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Starlink and Starshield had resumed operation at the speeds they had before the restrictions were imposed. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that the connection was operating stably at speeds of over 400 km/h.

According to Reuters, the restrictions disrupted the work of the Ukrainian military and increased tensions in relations between Kyiv and Washington. The agency also reported that the order to reduce the speed of Starshield came from the White House. At the same time, Musk and American officials have not publicly admitted responsibility for the introduction of restrictions.

UPD. Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine again operate at speeds over 160 km/h. The Ministry of Defense records the speed of Starlink/Starshield over 400 km/h