Serhii Beskrestnov, Ukraine’s defense technology adviser, said commercial Starlink movement limits ruled out medium- and deep-range strikes, disputing SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s allegation of Ukrainian offensive drone use.
In a Telegram post on Oct. 25, Beskrestnov said Starlink terminals in Ukraine, including occupied areas, had faced a movement-speed limit of 70–90 km/h since winter 2026. He also said the service did not operate over Russia. He argued those restrictions ruled out medium- and deep-range use of commercial Starlink.
Musk accused Ukraine’s military of violating Starlink’s terms by using the commercial service for offensive drone strikes. He said SpaceX had closed a loophole the previous week and described Starshield as a separate system controlled by the U.S. government.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Oct. 24 that its monitoring recorded stable connectivity for Starlink and Starshield at movement speeds above 400 km/h. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said restoration began overnight and the services were usable by the morning of Oct. 24. He also said they had returned to their previous speeds.
Beskrestnov addressed commercial Starlink, while the ministry reported the two services together and did not identify which terminal setup recorded the higher movement speed. The statements do not directly establish whether the cap he described applied to the terminals behind the ministry’s reading.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara said the restored links mattered for front-line personnel, drone operations, logistics and communications. He credited the outcome to direct dialogue and Zelenskyy’s persistence.
SpaceX’s Acceptable Use Policy permits remote drone control or piloting only where a contract authorizes it. The policy also limits military activity to approved morale, welfare and recreation programs. Those terms set conditions for service use but do not establish whether the specific attacks Musk alleged took place.
Ukraine had previously said movement limits remained in place on military terminals.
