'Can't use it to kill people': Musk admits restricting Starlink in Ukraine

Elon Musk has acknowledged that his company, SpaceX, restricted Ukraine's Starlink satellite internet service last week, after Ukrainian officials said connectivity issues appeared to have been resolved.

In a post on X on Saturday, the tech billionaire accused Ukraine's military of violating the service's terms by using it for offensive drone strikes. However, he denied responsibility for simultaneous disruptions to Starshield, the US government-controlled, military-grade satellite communication system that supports Ukraine's drone operations and communications.

"Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be," Musk wrote. "Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week."

Musk had earlier denied deliberately restricting Ukraine's connectivity, which Kyiv said had hampered its ability to conduct defensive operations for more than a week. Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov described Musk's latest post as "very strange". Kyiv has not officially commented on his latest claim.

The issue emerged last week amid broader tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Restrictions affecting Starshield also raised concerns among Ukrainian military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions.

Musk maintained that the US government controlled any changes to Starshield, the military-grade counterpart to Starlink. He also defended SpaceX's role in supporting Ukraine's defences since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The episode added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington, whose relationship had already been strained by US President Donald Trump's reported deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal. Ukraine's defence minister Yevhenii Khmara credited "direct dialogue" and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's diplomacy with Washington for the outcome, adding that what mattered most was "for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics and communications".

Questions have persisted over who ordered the interruptions to Starlink, a satellite internet system developed by Musk's company that Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Russian attacks. Trump has said he did not make the decision, while also arguing that Musk should not be blamed. US Vice President J D Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any involvement by the administration.

The restoration of connectivity comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war. Russia agreed on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with the United States and Ukraine next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localised ceasefire around Oleshky, a war-ravaged, Russian-occupied town in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump.

Meanwhile, fighting continued on the ground. A man was killed and two others were wounded in a missile attack on Lozova in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, local officials said on Saturday. In Crimea, Moscow-installed authorities in several Russian-occupied cities reported power outages on Saturday following overnight Ukrainian attacks.