Arabic version: ماسك يقول إن «سبيس إكس» قيّدت خدمة «ستارلينك» في أوكرانيا

According to BBC News, Elon Musk said SpaceX restricted Ukraine’s Starlink internet service after Ukrainian officials reported that connectivity problems appeared to have been resolved. Musk said Ukraine had violated Starlink’s terms of service by using the civilian commercial network for offensive drone strikes, while denying responsibility for issues involving the US-run military-grade Starshield system.

Musk wrote on X that using Starlink for offensive drone strikes “has never been allowed” and said a loophole had been closed the previous week. He said Starlink could be used for military infrastructure but not for “unequivocally offensive strikes.” He also said Starshield was a separate system controlled by the US government.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov called Musk’s post “very strange.” He said Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine have a speed restriction of 70-90km/h and do not work on Russian territory, arguing that commercial Starlink could not be used for deep or medium-range strikes. Ukraine’s defence ministry did not immediately comment.

Ukraine uses both Starlink and Starshield, which operate through SpaceX low-Earth-orbit satellite networks. Starlink helps military units co-ordinate in remote battlefield areas, while Starshield allows drone operators to view targets in real time and operate interceptor drones. Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said the military was recording a “stable connection,” with drones able to exceed 400km/h. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the speeds were now where they needed to be.

The connection problems emerged during a wider dispute between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. US President Donald Trump said he had told Musk to restore the service, while denying that he had instructed him to limit it. Musk had previously denied deliberately throttling Ukraine’s connection.