He went on to say that SpaceX had “done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth” and reiterated his stipulation that Starshield was a different system and controlled by the US government, adding: “What they decide to do is up to them.”
He added in a later post: “[Starlink] can be used for infrastructure that is military, but it cannot be used for unequivocally offensive strikes that make it fair game to be struck back.”
Reacting to Musk’s post, Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram that Ukraine “physically cannot use” commercial Starlink for long- and middle-range drone strikes.
There was no immediate comment from the country’s defence ministry.
Ukraine uses both the civilian service Starlink and the more secure Starshield, depending on what communications are needed, both of which run on networks of low Earth orbit satellites launched by SpaceX.
Starlink allows military units to co-ordinate, particularly in remote areas on the battlefield, while Starshield allows Ukrainian drone operators to see targets in real time, as well as operate interceptor drones.
Russia is not authorised to use Starlink, so when Ukraine sends long-range missiles or drones deep into Russia to hit oil refineries, the network does not work.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said earlier on Saturday that the military was now recording a “stable connection”, with drones now able to reach speeds in excess of 400km/h (249mph). Kyiv previously said the connection would cut out above 161km/h.
“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
