Elon Musk accused the Ukrainian military of violating the terms of use of the Starlink satellite system and using it for offensive drone strikes. According to him, this possibility was terminated in the week before October 25.
“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“, the SpaceX founder wrote on the social network X.
Musk said that using Starlink to kill people “has never been allowed and should not be allowed“. He made a distinction between the civilian system and Starshield, which he described as a military version under the control of the US government.
“If Starlink is turned off, the Ukrainian front line will immediately collapse“, Musk wrote. He clarified that this was “not a threat, just a statement“, adding that SpaceX has done more than any other private company to protect Ukraine.
Ukrainian side rejected the claim
Sergey “Flash“ Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on the development of technological directions in defense, said that Starlink does not operate over Russian territory. According to him, Ukrainian forces “physically cannot“ to use the system for long-range drone strikes and for medium-range strikes.
Former adviser to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Sergey Sternenko indicated that a satellite terminal operating in motion should be included in a special “white list“ and be connected to the military Starshield system. According to him, the use of civilian Starlink to perform tasks with drones is “technically impossible“.
High-speed restrictions
On October 14, the Ukrainian military announced restrictions on the operation of Starshield terminals. The connection is lost when drones move at a speed of more than 160 kilometers per hour.
In parallel, the dispute remained over who ordered the restriction of the system for Ukraine. Donald Trump said that he had not given such an order and did not know who could have done it. The Telegraph reported, citing four sources, that Musk had suggested to Trump that Starshield be restricted. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Musk had ordered the system to be restricted.
Sources: meduza.io