Elon Musk’s dust-up with Ukraine on Starlink isn't over yet

In a continuing dispute, SpaceX owner Elon Musk has accused Ukrainian forces of violating Starlink's terms of service by allegedly using the civilian platform for offensive drone strikes. Musk made the claim in an X post, stating that such usage is strictly prohibited and should not be allowed. He emphasized that the commercial Starlink service, not the military Starshield, was being misused in this manner.

However, two Ukrainian drone advisors have disputed Musk's assertion, claiming that it is technically impossible for Ukrainian troops to independently utilize Starlink in drone strikes due to the restrictions imposed on the terminals. Both experts, Serhii Sternenko and Serhii Flash Beskrestnov, worked in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense during the negotiations with SpaceX to prevent Russia from using black-market Starlink terminals in the war.

They explained that Ukrainian civilians and troops could register their terminals on a whitelist, but only for communications and piloting non-combat systems. For drone missions requiring satellite communication, they had to be put on a special list that uses Starshield instead.

Sternenko added that Ukrainian Starlink terminals were subject to a speed limit of 90 kmph (55 mph), while the civilian service is completely cut off over Russia. Thus, Ukrainian troops are unable to use commercial Starlink for deep or middle strikes. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry relies on Starshield for mid-range and deep strikes on Russia's rear or Russian territory, as well as for controlling interceptor drones that fly at speeds up to 265 mph.