Elon Musk has all but confirmed that his company SpaceX was behind the throttling of Ukraine’s access to its crucial satellite internet system, a move that undermined the country at a vulnerable point in its fight against Russia.
Musk claimed Saturday that Ukraine had been using Starlink, the civilian internet system, to carry out drone attacks against Russia, and said SpaceX took action to stop it.
“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” the billionaire posted on X. “Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them.”
Musk defiantly added, “SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR.”
He did not stop there.
“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,” Musk wrote. “May you burn in hell.”
Ukrainian officials raised alarms over their Starlink access about two weeks ago, when they discovered problems affecting their drones traveling at speeds of 160 km/h or more. At the time, Russian drones were traveling at 400 km/h or higher.
The issue arose shortly after President Trump announced a controversial diesel deal with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Days before the slowdown hit Kyiv, Musk echoed Trump’s calls for Ukraine to get a new leader, amid complaints that the country kept attacking Russian refineries.
Russia, meanwhile, has been pounding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in an effort to force Kyiv into submission ahead of the coming winter.
The throttling of Ukraine’s satellite internet access sparked bipartisan and international outrage.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that full service had been restored.
“The speeds are now at the level we need,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
Musk had initially suggested the Ukrainians were complaining about Starshield, the military version of Starlink that falls under U.S. government control. That claim fueled confusion and a blame game over who was responsible for the slowdown.
Trump and top administration officials repeatedly insisted they were not at fault.
Before Musk’s post on X, questions had swirled over who was behind the disruption. The New York Post reported that some administration sources were themselves unsure who the culprit was.
The slowdown came at a difficult moment for Ukraine as it braces for a brutal winter, with Russia systematically targeting the energy infrastructure that keeps civilians warm.
Musk’s latest comments appear to put the matter to rest, drawing a sharp distinction between Starlink, which SpaceX operates as a commercial service, and Starshield, which he said is up to the U.S. government.
While Ukraine’s service is now back at full strength, the episode has highlighted how heavily Kyiv relies on Starlink in its war effort, and how quickly that access can be affected.
For now, Zelensky says speeds are where they need to be. But Musk’s fiery post makes clear he has no plans to back down from his position that the civilian network should not be used for offensive drone strikes.
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