Zelensky celebrates the return of Starlink service in his country, but Musk lashes out at the Ukrainian army

After a week of connectivity restrictions in Ukraine that disrupted military operations, Starlink and Starshield are fully operational again in the European country. In parallel, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk lashed out at Kyiv, accusing them of violating the terms of use of his service. This Saturday, October 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that operations with these connections had returned to the speeds they had before. "The restoration began overnight, and by this morning, speeds were already sufficient. This matters: for our logistics on the front line, for defending Ukraine against jet-powered 'Shaheds.' I thank all the Americans and our partners who took this seriously and truly helped — members of Congress, senators, all the media, the State Department, and the president," the leader said. The most important thing today is that Starlink and Starshield operations have been restored to the speeds we had before the restrictions. The speeds are now where they need to be. The restoration began overnight, and by this morning, speeds were already sufficient. This matters:… pic.twitter.com/qxBtluSD3G— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 24, 2026 In any case, responsibility for the restrictions that limited Ukrainian operations was not assumed by the United States or by the SpaceX CEO, the company in charge of Starlink, according to Reuters. Hours after the Ukrainian leader's thanks, Musk attacked Kyiv and accused the country of transgressing the rules of his satellite internet service. "Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be," he said. Along the same lines, he stated that "Ukraine militarily violated Starlink's terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people(...) Starlink remains critical to Ukraine's defense, as it is the only system that cannot be jammed or exploited, at least for now. If Starlink were to go down, Ukraine's front line would collapse immediately." Musk specified that his statements were not a threat, but he did emphasize the importance of the Starlink connection during the first days of the war between Russia and Ukraine. "SpaceX has by far done more than any other private company on the planet to defend Ukraine. That said, I feel nothing but absolute contempt for those evil warmongers who, flaunting a false sense of moral superiority, promote endless slaughter without offering any realistic solution to the conflict. Burn in hell," he concluded. Correct. Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be. Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them. Ukraine military violated… https://t.co/ZXBB8bYfPn— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 24, 2026 Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelensky's administration, stated on Telegram that it is "physically impossible" for his country to use Musk's commercial internet service for deep-strike or medium-range operations toward Russia. This is due to the movement speed limit of 70-90 km/h that Starlink terminals have in Ukraine and the fact that this satellite system does not work on Russian territory. According to The Wall Street Journal, the American president, Donald Trump, contacted the SpaceX CEO last Wednesday to ask him to lift the restrictions of his service in a military-grade version that the CEO had limited for Ukraine. Kyiv's connectivity ups and downs come amid tense months regarding the European country's relationship with the United States: with pressure from the Republican leader for Ukraine to stop attacking Russian refineries, and even an American advance regarding a "groundbreaking" agreement on the supply of diesel fuel from Russia. In parallel, the White House announced last Friday a ceasefire in the city of Oleshky, a place near the Crimean peninsula. This pause seeks to allow the arrival of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. @ZelenskyyUa on X.