Adviser to the President of Ukraine on defense technology issues Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov responded to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who accused the Ukrainian military of violating the terms of use of the commercial satellite system Starlink, according to Eurointegration.
Beskrestnov wrote about this on social media.
Beskrestnov expressed surprise that Elon Musk "does not know about the restrictions on Starlink's operation in Ukraine".
The adviser to the head of state reminded that starting from February 2026, all Starlink terminals over the territory of Ukraine, including the occupied territories, have a speed restriction of 70–90 km/h. And over the territory of Russia, Starlink does not work.
"Thus, we physically cannot use commercial Starlink for strikes using deepstrikes and midstrikes", – wrote Beskrestnov.
On October 24, Elon Musk stated that the Ukrainian military allegedly violated the terms of use of this type of communication.
"Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed and should not be allowed; 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", – wrote Musk on social network X.
According to him, Starshield is a different system, controlled by the US government.
"What they decide to do is up to them", – wrote Musk.
"Starlink remains critically important for Ukraine's defense, as it is the only system that cannot be jammed or destroyed, at least for now. If Starlink were turned off, the Ukrainian front would instantly collapse. This is not a threat, it is simply a statement of fact", – noted Musk.
The Wall Street Journal reported on October 22 that US President Donald Trump called Musk andasked him to lift restrictions on Starshield's work. Trump himselfrefused to say whether he personally called the owner of SpaceX.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on October 24 the resumption of work of Starlink and Starshield "at the same speed as before the introduction of all restrictions".
