Musk defends Ukraine decision: Using Starlink ‘for offensive drone strikes’ was never allowed

by WorldTribune Staff, October 26, 2026 — Real World News

Elon Musk said he cut Ukraine off from his commercial Starlink satellite service after it was used to coordinate drone strikes against Russia.

Using the commercial network for offensive drone strikes “has never been allowed, nor should it be,” Musk wrote on X on Saturday. “That loophole was closed last week,” he added.

Musk then slammed the critics who he said seem to want the Russia-Ukraine war to drag on.

“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.”

Starshield, a separate military-grade system Ukraine relies on, answers to the U.S. government rather than Musk, according to his post.

Musk pointed to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s post to X for proof.

Zelenskyy wrote on Oct. 16: “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.”

Musk defended his company’s wartime record. SpaceX “has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR,” Musk wrote on X. The Ukrainian front line would collapse the moment Starlink went dark, according to his post.

Ukraine says the limits never came off. Starshield terminals stayed 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.

Trump denied Friday that he or Musk caused the disruption, CNBC reported. “These restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield must stop immediately,” Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said, according to Newsweek. A bipartisan group of lawmakers pressed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to widen Starshield support for Ukraine.

Ukraine reportedly 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.

Musk defends Ukraine decision: Using Starlink ‘for offensive drone strikes’ was never allowed, WorldTribune.com