Elon Musk responds to Ukraine's allegations of "restricting Starlink"... and sources reveal to Ofoq News the behind-the-scenes of the dispute

- Ukrainian authorities claimed that Starlink imposed restrictions on some military internet services, disrupting operations amid an escalating dispute with the administration of US President Donald Trump. The Ukrainian authorities stated that they were surprised by the restrictions imposed on the version intended for military use of Elon Musk’s “Starlink” service, which is known as “Starshield.”

On the other hand, Musk, CEO of SpaceX, responded via his social media platform, “X” (formerly Twitter), that “Starshield systems are owned by the US government and subject to its control, and that any restrictions on their speed or use are due to the decision of the US Army and the US President.” He added, "Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX, and is limited to civilian or defense activities."

He continued, "Starlink cannot be used in offensive military operations, because doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company." Ofoq News Network contacted the White House to obtain a comment regarding Musk's statements about Starshield.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian forces are trying to exploit the disruption of the Starlink service. With Russia launching 124 drones during the night and another 145 during the day, Zelensky described the attack as “one of the largest.”

“It is clear that the Russians are trying to exploit problems with Starlink in Ukraine, as our interceptor drones depend on this connection, among other things,” Zelensky wrote on X. The problem of Starlink disruption is exacerbated in light of recent Ukrainian government reports indicating disturbances in the process of exchanging intelligence information with allies to warn of imminent missile attacks.

This comes after the Trump administration warned Ukraine last weekend that the United States may suspend intelligence sharing and European purchases of American weapons for Ukraine if Kiev does not stop its long-range strikes targeting Russian energy facilities. Intelligence provided by the United States and other partners helps Ukraine defend itself against Russian ballistic missile attacks by identifying the locations of missile launchers and providing data on the destination and timing of strikes.

On Tuesday, Zelensky said his government had not received “any early warning from our partners” before a deadly ballistic missile attack hit a major power station in Kiev and damaged an apartment building. However, in response to a question on Tuesday, Trump said that the United States had not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

He added: "We help them and share intelligence with them. We want the war to end, so we are working with them and Russia to end this war."

A Ukrainian military source with direct knowledge of the daily operations affected by the “Starlink” service told Ofoq News that “the complications are great.” The military source said: “We are investigating the communication problems in detail.

The areas that will be affected are the front line and the occupied territories,” he said, adding: “We were prepared for this matter.” A source in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense also told Ofoq News that “this situation greatly complicates logistics services, drones, troop operations, medium-range strikes, etc.”

The source indicated that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is communicating with the United States, SpaceX, and NATO allies, and is working on testing and implementing alternative communication channels. Ofoq News contacted the White House, the Pentagon, and SpaceX to obtain a comment.

On Saturday, Elon Musk criticized the Ukrainian president in a post on the “X” platform, saying that “Zelensky has gone too far” regarding the strikes targeting Russian fuel facilities. Ofok News contacted the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for comment.

A source familiar with the matter told Ofoq News that US lawmakers have been informed of the problems related to the “StarShield” system. According to the source, the Ukrainian Armed Forces learned of the existence of speed restrictions in Starshield devices through SpaceX's customer support service after submitting a complaint about operational problems, noting that the company did not provide any prior warning.

The source explained that Ukraine was informed that the restrictions apply to vehicles and other military equipment moving at a speed of 100 miles per hour or more. Starlink devices lose connection to those assets when this speed is exceeded. This complicates Ukrainian drone operations, especially interceptors and long- or medium-range strike aircraft, according to multiple sources.

It also reduces military capabilities related to front-line logistics, communications and reconnaissance, as well as the operation of aircraft and helicopters. An informed source told Ofoq News that the Ukrainian government asked the company to explain the reason for this change and determine a mechanism to restore the service capabilities that were available under previous arrangements, given the operational importance of the “Starshield” connection.

These arrangements were concluded under contracts with the US government extending until mid-May 2027. The source added that Kiev has not received a response from SpaceX yet.

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia does not have additional information regarding interruptions to the Starlink service in Ukraine. He also stated that the Kremlin is “monitoring with interest” reports of shifts in Washington’s support for Kiev, adding that “it is too early to draw any substantive conclusions.”