SpaceX CEO Elon Musk looks on as President Donald Trump speaks to the press after a meeting with technology executives about artificial intelligence at the White House in Washington, Sept. 29, 2026.
Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Saturday said the company restricted Ukraine’s access to its high-speed technology because Kyiv violated Starlink’s terms of service.
In a post on X, Musk said: “Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.”
He added: “SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR.”
Ukraine officials said earlier in the day that SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield satellite communication systems had restored high-speed service, a day after they said the service remained throttled. Ukrainian official said the service disruption left the country vulnerable to Russian attacks.
“The monitoring systems of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine officially record the restoration of the speed of Starlink/Starshield,” it said in a statement. “The connection remains stable [while equipment is moving] at speeds over 400 km/h (249 miles per hour).”
“Previously, monitoring systems recorded limitations in the operation of Starlink/Starshield. Now the speed indicators have been restored,” the ministry added.
Starlink is SpaceX’s broader commercial satellite internet network, while Starshield is the company’s government operations built on Starlink technology.
Before Musk’s announcement, confusion lingered over who ordered the high-speed service restrictions, with Musk initially claiming in a social media post the U.S. government was responsible, while President Donald Trump had said he had no knowledge of it.
On Saturday, speaking to White House reporters in Florida, Trump confirmed a Wall Street Journal report this week that said he had asked Musk to ease the restrictions: “I have spoken to Elon Musk.”
SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
A soldier from a separate task rifle battalion of the National Police of Ukraine uses a smartphone to check signal quality while setting up a Starlink satellite communication network at a combat position in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on October 16, 2026.
Dmytro Smolienko | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Since Oct. 14, Ukrainian officials have accused SpaceX of undermining the country’s ability to defend itself by imposing speed limits on Starshield, the military-grade offering of its Starlink satellite internet service. Officials said any drone traveling above 100 mph lost its connection, disrupting some missions.
Ukraine’s Starshield terminals continued to experience problems on Friday, said Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington, D.C., think tank focused on energy, defense tech and global trade.
‘Things have become harder’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Friday post on X that the restrictions on Starlink and Starshield “are still there,” and added, “The speed has not been restored.” He noted that the country is also waiting for the U.S. to deliver missile interceptors “that were already agreed on.”
“Things have become harder — partly because of the Starlink and Starshield policies and speed limits,” Zelenskyy wrote. “But our frontline is still holding and I am proud of how strong our people are.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said it continues to monitor the systems’ operations.
“This result is, above all, important for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics, and communications,” Defense Minister Yevgeny Khmara said in the statement.
Lawmakers in the U.S. from both parties have called for a formal probe into Musk and SpaceX over alleged unilateral changes the company made to its services in Ukraine.
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