Musk says Kyiv broke Starlink terms as service returns
Ukraine said Saturday that Starlink was back up for its forces, CNBC and the BBC reported. Elon Musk said Kyiv broke the rules when troops used Starlink for drone strikes. An aide in Kyiv said the claim was odd and that Starlink cannot power deep strikes.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Saturday that Starlink and Starshield speeds were back and stayed steady even when gear moved faster than 400 kilometers per hour, CNBC and the BBC reported. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote that speeds were now where they needed to be, the BBC said.
Elon Musk said on X that Ukraine's military broke Starlink terms of service and used the civilian network for attack drone strikes, CNBC and the BBC reported. Musk said that gap was closed last week and that SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private firm. He also said Starshield is run by the US government and that its choices are up to them, the BBC reported.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian military communications adviser, pushed back. He said drones that use Starlink in Ukraine face a speed cap of about 70 to 90 kilometers per hour and do not work on Russian land, so commercial Starlink cannot be used for deep or mid-range strikes. He called Musk's post very strange, the BBC reported. Ukraine's defense ministry did not at once reply to the terms claim, the BBC said.
Ukrainian officials had said for more than a week that speed caps on Starshield and Starlink hurt defense work. President Donald Trump said Saturday he had spoken with Musk about easing the limits, CNBC reported. Lawmakers in the US from both parties have called for a probe into the service changes, CNBC said.
This update follows an earlier NewsHabit card on Trump saying Musk restored Ukraine's Starshield service.
What we know: Ukraine said Starlink and Starshield speeds were steady again Saturday, while Musk claimed Kyiv broke Starlink terms and a Ukrainian adviser disputed that account.
What we don't: The full change SpaceX made last week, and whether Kyiv will issue an official reply to Musk's terms claim.
Where outlets agree CNBC and the BBC say Ukraine reported Starlink and Starshield speeds restored Saturday while Musk claimed Kyiv broke the service terms.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.