Ukraine cannot use Starlink for long-range strikes on Russia, Flash says in response to Musk's accusations

On Saturday morning, Ukraine's military satellite links were restored to full speed after a 10-day pause, according to the country's Defense Ministry. The restoration came after SpaceX owner Elon Musk claimed his company had "enforced its own rules," in response to earlier accusations that Washington was responsible for the disruption.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the restoration began overnight, and the military now operates at speeds exceeding 400 km/h (250 mph), a significant improvement from the previous limitation of 161 km/h (100 mph) on Starlink and its military version, Starshield. Zelenskyy thanked various US officials for their support but did not mention Musk or SpaceX.

Musk responded to a user who questioned Starlink's use for offensive drone strikes, stating that Ukraine had violated the service's terms of service. He reiterated that Starshield, a system controlled by the US government, could not be used for such purposes. Musk also warned that if Starlink were turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately, emphasizing that this is not a threat but a factual observation.

Despite Musk's claims, he later acknowledged that SpaceX throttled Starlink in response to allegedly bypassed terms of service. However, he maintained that there had been no change to the actual terms of service. The contradiction between Musk's statements and the reality on the ground remains unclear, as Ukraine continues to rely on American tools that it does not fully control, leaving it vulnerable to sudden cutoffs that could compromise its defense.