Musk Admits Starlink Restrictions as Service Returns — SkimNews
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- SpaceX restricted Ukraine’s Starlink connection last week, according to Musk, who said the military had violated the service terms by using it for offensive drone strikes and that the loophole was now closed.
- Serhii Beskrestnov said Starlink drones in Ukraine were limited to 70–90 km/h and did not work on Russian territory, making Musk’s explanation “very strange” and asserting that commercial Starlink could not conduct deep or medium-range strikes.
- Yevhenii Khmara said the military now had a “stable connection” and that drones could exceed 400 km/h; Kyiv had previously said the connection cut out above 161 km/h, and Zelensky called the restored speeds sufficient.
- Trump said he had told Musk to “put it back” while repeatedly denying that he instructed SpaceX to limit the service, after a standoff with Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
- Starshield, the US-government-controlled system, gives Ukrainian drone operators real-time target viewing and interceptor-drone operation, while civilian Starlink supports battlefield coordination and does not work for long-range attacks into Russia.
- Musk did not explain why SpaceX changed the service last week, although Ukraine’s extensive use of Starlink had been known for several years.
Why it matters: Ukraine’s drone units have regained a material capability: after more than a week of disruption, links were stable and speeds above 400 km/h were possible, compared with a prior 161 km/h cutoff. But Musk’s rationale conflicts with Beskrestnov’s claim that commercial Starlink already could not operate in Russia, leaving the restriction’s scope disputed.
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