Musk cites speed cap in Starlink drone dispute

Elon Musk accused the Ukrainian military of violating Starlink service terms on Saturday. He stated that using the civilian commercial system for offensive drone strikes to kill people was not permitted. Musk said this loophole was closed the previous week.

SpaceX implemented a restriction preventing Ukraine from using the satellite technology on drones flying above specific speeds. This technical change preceded Musk’s public comments. The company imposed these limits to enforce the commercial agreement between the two parties.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology advisor for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rejected Musk’s allegation on Sunday. In a Telegram post, Beskrestnov wrote that all Starlink terminals over Ukrainian territory were already subject to a movement speed limit. He specified that this cap ranged from 70 to 90 kilometers per hour.

Beskrestnov noted that Starlink does not function over Russian territory. He argued that the existing speed limits made Musk’s description of the drone usage physically impossible. One current and one former Ukrainian official supported this view, stating that previous SpaceX limits already blocked the military from using the service in the manner Musk described.

Ukraine officials have separately accused Musk of throttling their access to Starshield. Starshield is the military variant of Starlink, and Ukraine accesses it through a deal with the US government. Musk distinguished the two systems, noting that the US government controls decisions for Starshield.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that the new satellite restrictions have been lifted. This move may end a controversy that began almost two weeks ago. The resolution follows a dispute over whether Ukraine used a civilian tool for military purposes.