Musk’s allegations and the service terms
President Volodymyr Zelensky rejects Elon Musk’s claim that Ukraine uses Starshield for offensive strikes against Russia. Musk alleged that Kyiv used commercial Starlink terminals for "offensive drone strikes to kill people," but Zelensky stated on Oct. 27 that Ukraine uses the system against Russian troops only on its own territory. "This is not offensive; it’s defensive," Zelensky told journalists during a press briefing. He added, "the point is that we use it against Russian troops on our territory, not on Russian territory. They came here to kill." Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov noted that the commercial Starlink terminals have a speed restriction of 70-90 kilometers per hour and do not work on Russian territory. Musk claimed the "loophole" involving commercial terminals is closed and argued that the U.S. government controls the militarized Starshield terminals. I find Musk’s attempt to blame Ukraine for service violations while his company controls the technology quite deceptive.
The impact of Starshield restrictions
The speed restrictions on Starshield earlier this month directly hindered Ukrainian military operations. Starshield was temporarily restricted to 160 kilometers per hour, which hampered Ukrainian drone interceptors’ ability to down jet-powered drones. The restrictions hit as Ukraine successfully tested 2,000 jet-powered Bars drone interceptors paid for by a European country. Before the speed changes, Ukraine shot down between 50% and 78% of Shahed-type drones, but that rate dropped after the restrictions began. Zelensky confirmed on Oct. 24 that both Starlink and Starshield work at full speed again. "Of course, civilians died while Starlink/Starshield were switched off," Zelensky said. I find the timing of these restrictions during critical drone testing absolutely negligent. The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 23 that Trump ordered the SpaceX CEO to lift the restrictions, even though the U.S. president claimed he had not spoken to Musk about the issue. While Trump administration officials point fingers at Musk, the U.S. president claimed he might speak to Musk if the problems persisted. This tension follows Trump easing sanctions pressure on Moscow and accusing Zelensky of not being interested in peace, despite Kyiv repeatedly backing various U.S.-backed ceasefire proposals that Russia turned down.
