Satellite links have become a point of dispute in Ukraine’s drone defenses, as President Volodymyr Zelensky described Starshield use as defensive and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accused Ukraine’s military of using Starlink offensively.
Zelensky told journalists on Oct. 27 that Ukraine uses Starshield against Russian forces on Ukrainian territory, not inside Russia. He said the service supports frontline logistics, including food and water deliveries, and is also used to counter jet-powered drones.
Musk’s Oct. 24 post on X concerned Starlink, SpaceX’s commercial service, and its terms of service. He alleged Ukraine’s military violated those terms by using Starlink for offensive drone strikes and said a loophole had been closed.
SpaceX says Starshield serves government customers and uses technology developed for Starlink. Musk has said the U.S. government controls Starshield and that the U.S. military and president determine its operating limits.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said monitoring systems recorded Starlink and Starshield connectivity as stable on Oct. 24 while terminals moved above 400 km/h. The ministry said restored connectivity matters for drone operations, logistics and communications.
Reuters reported that earlier restrictions capped terminal movement at 160 km/h. Ukrainian officials told Reuters that the limits hampered drone interception and forced some operations to be canceled. The movement cap had also featured in earlier EconoTimes coverage of Starshield’s effect on drone coordination.
Zelensky said he did not know who ordered the earlier restrictions. Reuters, citing two U.S. officials and a Western official, reported that the order came from inside the White House. Reuters also quoted a senior U.S. official who denied that President Donald Trump issued it.
Ukrinform reported that Zelensky put Ukraine’s then-current rate of shooting down Shahed-type drones at about 90%, compared with 50% to 78% when the latest wave of attacks began, before the rate fell again. He did not specify the measurement periods or denominator.
