Ukraine says speed limits make Musk's drone claim impossible

Ukraine's military leaders rejected Elon Musk's assertion that their country broke Starlink rules to power lethal drone attacks. The dispute centers on whether the civilian satellite network was misused for offensive strikes, a claim that puts the commercial terms of the service in question.

Musk posted on Saturday that Ukraine violated the terms of service by using the commercial platform to kill people. He argued that the military should have used Starshield, the government-controlled variant, instead. SpaceX recently imposed a restriction to stop drones flying above specific speeds from accessing the network.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology advisor for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called the accusation "physically impossible" in a Sunday Telegram post. He explained that all Starlink terminals on Ukrainian soil, including Russian-occupied areas, already faced a speed cap between 70 and 90 kilometers per hour. Beskrestnov also noted that the signal does not work inside Russia.

Ukraine officials accused Musk of artificially throttling their access to Starshield. They view the new restrictions as a move to limit their military capabilities rather than enforce contract terms. The US government controls Starshield, and officials said that system operates under separate agreements.

Zelenskyy announced over the weekend that the new satellite restrictions have been lifted. This development may end a controversy that started nearly two weeks ago when the speed limits were first introduced. The removal of the cap suggests a resolution to the technical dispute over the network's usage.