Musk Says SpaceX Throttled Starlink Over Ukrainian Drone Strikes
Elon Musk has said his company restricted Starlink in Ukraine because its military “violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people”, adding that the loophole “was closed last week”. It is the first acceptance of responsibility after a week of denials. President Zelensky says speeds are now restored.
The admission is narrower than it first appears, and the distinction is the story. Mr Musk owns the restriction on Starlink, the commercial service, and justifies it: “Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be.” But he continues to disclaim the military network: “Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them.” So responsibility for one network is now claimed and for the other still is not. Until yesterday the denials formed a closed circle, with the American president saying it was not him and that he did not think it was Mr Musk, the secretary of state saying the administration cannot direct a private company, and Mr Musk saying any limits were decided by the military “and ultimately” the president. Ukraine’s own account was that SpaceX acted on a “message from the American government”. While the cap held for more than a week, Kyiv says combat missions failed, drone interception was degraded and Russian missiles arrived without warning. Mr Musk also claimed SpaceX “has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth”.