12:33Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
Musk Accuses Ukraine of Using Starlink Internet on Drones
Elon Musk has accused the Ukrainian military of violating Starlink’s rules. According to him, the military used the civilian satellite internet service on attack drones, and the loophole that enabled this was closed last week. Musk made the statement about 2 weeks after Ukraine said military operations had been disrupted because the service was slowed down. Ukrainian officials deny the claim and say this is technically impossible.
Ukraine uses Starlink for communications, logistics and battlefield connectivity. The system is also used to defend against incoming drones. For strike missions and intercepting Shahed drones, it primarily uses the military Starshield service controlled by the US military. Access was partially restricted earlier this month, and missions carried out with Starshield in particular came to a halt. According to the Ukrainian side, the slowdown seriously affected operations. Serhii Beskrestnov, the Ukrainian president’s adviser on defense technologies, said the commercial Starlink system connects only to devices moving at 70-90 km/h. The system also does not work in Russian territory. Therefore, it cannot be used for medium- and long-range strikes. Former adviser Serhii Sternenko also said a terminal in motion must be added to a special list and connected to Starshield. Both military personnel and civilians were able to register terminals operating at fixed locations. Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that the Starlink and Starshield services had been fully restored. After the restriction was lifted, the Ukrainian military was once again able to connect to devices traveling at more than 400 km/h. Zelensky said that while speeds were reduced, some jet-powered Shahed drones could not be intercepted. He also emphasized that the system helped protect people. There are conflicting reports about who imposed the restriction. According to Ukrainian officials, SpaceX set the speed limit for the terminals. Other reports allege that the order came from Elon Musk or the White House. Although Musk initially placed the responsibility on the US government, he denied making the decision himself. Donald Trump also said he was not involved in the process. At the same time, it has also been reported that he asked Musk to lift the restriction. It is alleged that the US government has been trying for years to influence Starlink operations. According to former senior officials, both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations asked SpaceX to turn the service on or off in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran and Ukraine. The latest restriction came during a period of rising tensions between Trump and Zelensky amid attacks on Russian oil refineries. Musk wrote on X that it was time for Zelensky to go.
Ukraine uses Starlink for communications, logistics and battlefield connectivity. The system is also used to defend against incoming drones. For strike missions and intercepting Shahed drones, it primarily uses the military Starshield service controlled by the US military. Access was partially restricted earlier this month, and missions carried out with Starshield in particular came to a halt. According to the Ukrainian side, the slowdown seriously affected operations. Serhii Beskrestnov, the Ukrainian president’s adviser on defense technologies, said the commercial Starlink system connects only to devices moving at 70-90 km/h. The system also does not work in Russian territory. Therefore, it cannot be used for medium- and long-range strikes. Former adviser Serhii Sternenko also said a terminal in motion must be added to a special list and connected to Starshield. Both military personnel and civilians were able to register terminals operating at fixed locations. Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that the Starlink and Starshield services had been fully restored. After the restriction was lifted, the Ukrainian military was once again able to connect to devices traveling at more than 400 km/h. Zelensky said that while speeds were reduced, some jet-powered Shahed drones could not be intercepted. He also emphasized that the system helped protect people. There are conflicting reports about who imposed the restriction. According to Ukrainian officials, SpaceX set the speed limit for the terminals. Other reports allege that the order came from Elon Musk or the White House. Although Musk initially placed the responsibility on the US government, he denied making the decision himself. Donald Trump also said he was not involved in the process. At the same time, it has also been reported that he asked Musk to lift the restriction. It is alleged that the US government has been trying for years to influence Starlink operations. According to former senior officials, both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations asked SpaceX to turn the service on or off in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran and Ukraine. The latest restriction came during a period of rising tensions between Trump and Zelensky amid attacks on Russian oil refineries. Musk wrote on X that it was time for Zelensky to go.