Elon Musk Says SpaceX Restricted Ukraine's Access To Starlink After It Violated Agreement — 'Done More To Defend' Kyiv Than Any Private Firm

• Musk said Starlink was never intended to be used for offensive operations involving attacks on people.
• He also distinguished Starlink from Starshield, saying the latter is a separate system controlled by the U.S. government, while noting that what the administration decides to do with it is up to them.
• Musk added that Ukraine’s use of Starlink for offensive drone strikes was done by exploiting a loophole that SpaceX moved to close last week.

Elon Musk on Saturday said Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SPCX) restricted Ukraine’s access to Starlink after the country’s military violated the service’s terms by using the civilian satellite network for offensive drone strikes.

Musk said in a post on X that Starlink remains critical to Ukraine’s defense, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Starlink and Starshield operations had returned to their previous speeds.

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SpaceX shares gained nearly 2% in Friday’s regular trading session, and edged up by 0.1% further during the afterhours trade.

Starlink Restrictions Came After Ukraine Violated Terms, Musk Says

Musk said Starlink was never intended to be used for offensive operations involving attacks on people, arguing that Ukraine’s military had violated the service’s terms of service.

“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” he added.

He also distinguished Starlink from Starshield, saying the latter is a separate system controlled by the U.S. government, while noting that what the administration decides to do with it is up to them.

Musk added that Ukraine’s use of Starlink for offensive drone strikes was done by exploiting a loophole that SpaceX moved to close last week.

Despite the restrictions, Musk said Starlink remains essential to Ukraine’s military because he believes it is currently the only communications system that cannot be jammed or destroyed. “Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately,” he said.

Musk also pointed to Starlink’s role during the early stages of Russia’s invasion, saying Russian attacks had destroyed or jammed other communications systems.

“SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth by far,” he said.

Zelenskyy Confirms Starlink Speeds Have Been Restored

Zelenskyy confirmed in a post on X on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield operations had been restored to the speeds Ukraine had before the restrictions, saying the improvement began overnight and was already sufficient by Sunday morning.

“The most important thing today is that Starlink and Starshield operations have been restored to the speeds we had before the restrictions,” he said.

Zelenskyy added that the restoration was important for Ukraine’s frontline operations, including logistics and defense against Russian drones with jet-powered “shaheds.”

Zelenskyy also thanked U.S. officials and others who he said helped address the issue, including members of Congress, senators, the State Department and the president.

Starlink Access Has Faced Pressure From Washington

The latest dispute comes after a report stated that both the Biden and Trump administrations had repeatedly asked SpaceX to adjust Starlink access in Ukraine and the Middle East. The report said U.S. officials had asked SpaceX to expand availability in Ukraine and Iran while restricting access for Iran-backed groups in the Middle East.

Amid this, Trump said on Friday that he believed the issue had been fixed and defended Musk, calling him a “very brilliant person” and saying, “Elon will never do anything wrong.”

What Retail Investors Think Of SPCX Stock

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around SpaceX trended in the ‘extremely bullish’ territory at the time of writing.

SPCX stock is down 2% year-to-date. The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is up 11% over the past 12 months, while the Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) is up 10%.

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