Tech billionaire Elon Musk has confirmed that his company, SpaceX, intentionally restricted the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, citing violations of the company’s terms of service regarding military operations.

The admission follows a week-long disruption that severely hampered Ukraine’s defensive operations and military communications. The connectivity crisis emerged during a tense diplomatic standoff between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.

US President Donald Trump stated he instructed Musk to restore the service, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently confirmed that connectivity across both Starlink and the military-grade Starshield network had returned to stable levels.

Writing on X, Musk defended the move, stating that using a civilian commercial service for offensive actions violated policy.

“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” Musk wrote. “Ukraine’s military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.”

Musk maintained that SpaceX has done more to support Ukraine than any private company on Earth since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. He also clarified that Starshield, the separate military counterpart, is controlled by the US government and operates under independent jurisdiction.

Ukrainian officials expressed bewilderment over Musk’s justification. Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov pointed out that commercial Starlink terminals in Ukraine feature and do not function over Russian territory, making it physically impossible to use them for deep-strike operations.

Military commanders reported that the throttling had interrupted missions and blinded drone operators, though defence officials confirmed that network speeds and stability have now been restored.

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