kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — Elon Musk said Saturday that his company SpaceX has limited Starlink satellite Internet service in Ukraine, disrupting operations the country relies on to defend against Russia.
Musk’s social media admission came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links had been restored to speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted frontline operations for more than a week.
Questions have persisted since last week about who ordered the shutdowns of the Musk-created satellite internet system that kyiv has relied on for years to counter attacks from Moscow.
“Speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelenskyy wrote on
Musk admits he was behind Starlink’s speed limit
After Ukraine said services had been restored, Elon Musk spoke out about speed restrictions that came into force last week. In a post on X on Saturday, Musk acknowledged that his company SpaceX had limited Starlink satellite internet service.
“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes aimed at killing people has never been authorized, nor should it be,” Musk wrote. “The Ukrainian military violated Starlink’s terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes aimed at killing people. This loophole was closed last week.”
But he maintained that the U.S. government controlled changes to Starshield, the military version of Starlink that is the backbone of drone operations in Ukraine and communication. He also defended SpaceX’s role in strengthening Ukraine’s defenses since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Restrictions imposed last week on Starshield has alarmed the country’s military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions.
The restoration follows a new American diplomatic push to end the war. Russia agreed on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localized ceasefire brokered by the First Lady. Melanie Trump around Olechkya war-ravaged, Russian-occupied town in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine.
Restrictions caused tensions between Ukraine and the United States
This episode added to tensions between kyiv and Washington, a relationship already strained by the agreement announced between President Donald Trump and Moscow on January 1. Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine considered a betrayal.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara praised Zelensky’s “direct dialogue” and diplomacy with Washington, adding that the result mattered most “for our front, for the army, drone work, logistics and communications.”
Trump maintained he did not make the decision, while saying Musk should not be blamed. Vice President JD Vance hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied any administration involvement.
Russia and Ukraine continue to target each other
Separately, one man was killed and two others injured in a missile attack on the town of Lozova in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, local officials said Saturday.
Moscow-installed authorities in towns in Russian-occupied Crimea reported power outages on Saturday following overnight Ukrainian attacks.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday its forces had struck a chemical plant in the Russian city of Togliatti that produces materials used in making rocket fuel. Togliatti Mayor Ilya Sukhikh said the nighttime attack damaged the city’s industrial facilities.
Ukrainian forces also struck an electronics factory in the city of Orel, the Ukrainian General Staff confirmed on Saturday. Local officials in Orel said Saturday that three people were killed in Friday’s attack. The General Staff said the factory makes components for the cruise and ballistic missiles that Russia fires at Ukrainian cities.
Ukrainian drones have also reached Russia’s Omsk region in western Siberia, more than 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Omsk regional governor Vitaly Khotsenko said the drones “reached a northern industrial hub.”
Online retailer Ozon said on Saturday its logistics center in Omsk was attacked by a drone, but there were no casualties. Ozon is a competitor to Wildberries, whose facilities Ukraine has also targeted.
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Morton reported from London.
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Follow AP coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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