Ukraine cites 70 km/h cap to refute Musk's Starlink drone claim

Elon Musk accused Ukraine of breaking Starlink terms of service by using the civilian platform for offensive drone strikes. He posted the claim on Saturday, stating that the military used the commercial service to kill people. This action came after SpaceX imposed a restriction that blocked the satellite technology for drones moving above specific speeds.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology advisor for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rejected the allegation in a Sunday Telegram post. He stated that all Starlink terminals over Ukrainian territory, including Russian-occupied areas, already faced a movement speed limit between 70 and 90 kilometers per hour. Beskrestnov described the use of the system for fast drone strikes as physically impossible given those constraints.

Beskrestnov also noted that Starlink does not function over the territory of Russia. This technical detail limits where the service can be utilized during aerial operations. His comments provided a direct technical counterpoint to Musk's assertion that the rules were recently enforced to stop a specific loophole.

One current and one former Ukrainian official denied Musk’s accusation. They stated that previous limits imposed by SpaceX already prevented the military from using Starlink in the manner Musk described. These officials accused Musk of throttling their access to Starshield, the military variant of the system. Ukraine accesses Starshield through a separate deal with the US government.

Musk wrote that Starshield is controlled by the US government and that their decisions are their own. He claimed the Starlink terms were violated and that the loophole was closed the prior week. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said over the weekend that the new satellite restrictions have been lifted. This move potentially ends a controversy that began almost two weeks ago.