Zelensky pushes back against Musk, says Ukraine uses Starshield only to defend its territory

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has clarified that the country's use of SpaceX's Starshield satellite systems is strictly for defensive purposes against Russian forces on Ukrainian soil, not for launching attacks on Russian territory, in response to allegations made by SpaceX founder Elon Musk. This statement comes after Musk claimed that Ukraine violated Starlink's terms of service by using their systems for offensive drone attacks.

Ukrainian military employs both commercial Starlink terminals and the militarized Starshield system, which was temporarily slowed down to 160 kilometers per hour earlier this month, impacting the interception of Russian drones and other military operations. Zelensky told journalists that the restrictions on Starshield were aimed at defending Ukrainian territory from Russian troops, not attacking Russian soil.

Musk had previously alleged that Ukraine had used commercial Starlink terminals to launch offensive drone strikes, a claim later rejected by Ukrainian officials who stated that the systems operate at full speed within Ukraine and not on Russian territory. Zelensky also mentioned that Ukraine was successfully testing its jet-powered Bars drone interceptors, a development halted by the Starshield restrictions.

The controversy surrounding Musk's interference in Ukraine's use of Starlink stems from deteriorating relations between the U.S. and Ukraine, where Trump has eased sanctions on Russia while accusing Zelensky of lacking peace interests.