Ukrainian President’s advisor responds to Elon Musk’s accusations

Elon Musk's accusations

SpaceX founder Elon Musk stated that the Ukrainian military violated Starlink's terms of service. Musk claims that Ukraine was using the civilian system to carry out attacks with drones, which he says was never permitted. Musk also noted that there is a separate system, Starshield, which is controlled by the U.S. government and for which the U.S. authorities make the decisions regarding its use. 1TV+1

Ukraine's position

Ukrainian President's advisor on defense technology issues Serhii Beskrestnov responded to Musk's statement and called it "very strange" because, according to him, Musk is unaware of the restrictions on Starlink's operation in Ukraine. Beskrestnov explained that since February 2026, all terminals on Ukrainian territory, including occupied parts, have a movement speed restriction of 70–90 km/h, and the system does not work at all on Russian territory. 1TV+2

Consequently, the Ukrainian President's advisor states that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are physically unable to use commercial Starlink for carrying out long or medium-range strikes. 1TV+2