Musk Blocks Ukraine’s Starlink Use for War, Calls Critics ‘Evil Warmongers’
Elon Musk restricts Ukraine’s use of Starlink for offensive strikes, sparks controversy over military control.
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Elon Musk has restricted Ukraine’s use of his civilian Starlink service for offensive drone strikes, calling critics who advocate for prolonged conflict ‘evil warmongers.’ In a post on X, Musk emphasized that the use of the commercial network for offensive operations ‘has never been allowed, nor should it be,’ and noted that the loophole was closed last week. He also highlighted that Starshield, a military-grade system Ukraine relies on, is under U.S. government control rather than his own.
Correct. Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be. Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them. Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week. Starlink remains critical to the defense of Ukraine, as it is the only system that cannot be jammed or blown up, at least for now. Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. This is NOT a threat, it is simply a statement of fact. Starlink was also crucial to preventing Russia from overrunning Ukraine in the early days of the war, as all other means of communication were destroyed or jammed by Russia. SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR. That said, I have nothing but UTTER CONTEMPT for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict. May you burn in hell. End of story.
Musk pointed to Ukraine’s own leader for proof of the strike use in a follow-up post on X. Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike use to reporters in Brussels. ‘We also use Starlink for mid-range strikes against enemy military targets in our temporarily occupied territories,’ Zelenskyy wrote on X. His forces stay off the network for operations inside Russia.
We don’t use Starlink for our responses inside Russia. We use Starlink to intercept jet-powered “shaheds” that attack our civilians and kill families. Starlink wasn’t turned off – its speed was reduced. And when the speed was reduced, we were unable to intercept a certain number of jet-powered “shaheds.” We couldn’t use a tool that helps protect people. That’s very painful and frustrating. We also use Starlink for mid-range strikes against enemy military targets in our temporarily occupied territories. We couldn’t do that when the restrictions were in place. And third, what matters most is people. Our warriors, who spend weeks and months on the front line, receive food and water delivered by drones using Starlink. Has the speed been fully restored to what it was before? No. Is it being restored now? Yes. From a conversation with media representatives in Brussels. (2/3)
Musk defended his company’s wartime record, stating that SpaceX ‘has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR.’ He argued that the Ukrainian front line would collapse the moment Starlink went dark. ‘I have nothing but UTTER CONTEMPT for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict,’ Musk wrote. ‘May you burn in hell.’
The clash plays out against reporting that complicates Musk’s account of who controls the system. Musk personally ordered the slowdown of the military-grade Starlink version last week, Reuters reported. He discussed the decision with Republican President Donald Trump by phone after it became public. Ukraine says the limits never came off, and Starshield terminals remained throttled Friday despite Trump’s claim that service returned, according to CNBC. Drones traveling above 100 mph have lost their links since Oct. 14. ‘They are losing drones,’ Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, told CNBC.
Responsibility for the order remains murky. Trump denied Friday that he or Musk caused the disruption, CNBC reported. ‘These restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield must stop immediately,’ Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said, according to Newsweek. A bipartisan group of lawmakers pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to widen Starshield support for Ukraine.
Ukraine is working to loosen its dependence on Musk. Zelenskyy’s government signed a letter of intent with Nokia and the Finnish firm ICEYE to build its own satellite communications, according to CNBC. ‘We must all rely on capabilities that we can control,’ Zelenskyy said in a statement.
Source: Daily Caller
