Musk warns military use of Starlink could spark space war. Kyiv’s ex-disinformation chief says he’s building alibi after Starshield scandal

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has warned that if Ukraine uses the Starlink network for military purposes, Russia could be entitled to shoot down the network. Musk insists that Starlink must remain a civilian operation and should not be used for offensive strikes that would put its existence at risk. This warning comes amid a dispute over Musk's involvement in the network.

Recently, SpaceX unexpectedly slowed down the service that Ukraine's drones depend on, causing disruption on the front lines. This move, combined with the US Treasury's authorization of a Russian diesel fuel deal, has angered Democrats and Republicans ahead of the US elections on November 3rd. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official believes Musk's comments are an attempt to build an alibi before a potential investigation into his decision.

SpaceX quietly reduced the speed of Starshield, the military version used by Ukraine's drones, without informing Kyiv. This speed reduction affected a series of missions, causing connection drops and making drones harder to control. At the same time, Ukraine's other American lifeline, intelligence warnings of Russian ballistic launches, also went dark.

On October 12th, Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv before the air-raid alert reached people, killing three individuals. A Ukrainian official sees Musk's actions as strategic damage to the US in the long run, potentially undermining trust in the US as a security guarantor and encouraging European countries to develop their own systems.