SpaceX owner Elon Musk said Ukrainian forces had violated Starlink’s terms by allegedly using the civilian satellite service in drone attacks. He wrote that the issue had been corrected during the preceding week, without providing further technical details.

Radio Svoboda reported the dispute on Saturday, October 24. Musk distinguished Starlink from Starshield, saying the latter is operated by the US government and that Washington decides how it is used.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser Serhiy Sternenko rejected Musk’s explanation. He argued that terminals installed on moving platforms such as drones must be registered under special access rules and connected to Starshield, making the civilian Starlink service alone insufficient for drone coordination.

Ukrainian forces began experiencing disruptions overnight on October 14, when Starshield terminals reportedly lost connectivity at high speeds. The failures affected strike and interceptor drones as well as reconnaissance and logistics. US President Donald Trump said on October 22 that service had been restored; Zelensky initially said restrictions remained, then confirmed full operation on October 24.