'Killing people never allowed': Elon Musk admits restricting Starlink in Ukraine, explains why

Tesla boss Elon Musk on Saturday (Oct 25) acknowledged that he decided to restrict Starlink satellite internet services in Ukraine because of certain violation. His remarks came after Kyiv's access to the services was restored. Musk said that SpaceX restricted access to Starlink services because Ukraine had violated its terms of service by using the system for offensive drone strikes to kill people. He added that the loophole had been closed last week. In a post on X, Musk said that “using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be”. He also clarified: "Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them," Musk said.

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Musk also said SpaceX had done more for Ukraine’s defence than any other private company in the world. He said the company had helped prevent Russia from overrunning Ukraine in the early days of the war by disrupting or jamming other means of communication used by Russia. “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,” Musk wrote.

“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 story,” Musk concluded.

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According to a Reuters report quoting unnamed US officials, Musk allegedly ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukrainian forces, triggering alarm in Kyiv and confusion within the Trump administration. The report also claimed that Musk and Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call shortly after the slowdown became public, while the president was campaigning last week. One of those individuals also claimed that the two discussed the issue before the restrictions were imposed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly warned that lives could be lost if unrestricted Starlink access was not restored. Ukraine also said that access to Starlink and Starshield satellite services had been restricted, with speeds affected. Amid the confusion, the report mentioned that SpaceX representatives contacted White House officials to seek a common understanding of the decision and develop a unified public message. The US President later had said that he would speak to Musk if the issue persisted.