Elon Musk has accused the Ukrainian military of violating Starlink’s terms in a post on X on Saturday.
Ukraine said that the Starlink satellite system and its military version Starshield were now fully functional after more than a week of restrictions.
Mr Musk, who owns the systems, said Ukraine had used the technology “for offensive drone strikes to kill people”, adding: “That loophole was closed last week”.
It comes as the White House praised Melania Trump for reportedly securing a ceasefire for the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, where up to 2,000 residents are cut off from world and facing starvation.
Russia agreed to pause all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway, according to the White House.
The localised ceasefire will begin on October 29.
A post on the White House’s social media account on Friday said: “Our incredible @FLOTUS Melania Trump has forged a ceasefire in war-torn Oleshky. Peace through strength.”
Sanctioned Russian energy giant secretly funded US gas project - report
Russia’s second-largest LNG producer Novatek reportedly secretly funded US company Polar LNG’s multibillion-dollar Alaska gas project, potentially violating US sanctions, The New York Times has reported.
Polar LNG’s former CEO John Riddle resigned in September after discovering the undisclosed Russian links. He said he alerted Trump administration officials and urged an investigation.
"It's not only unlawful, but it's not in the US interest to have Russian technology controlling the commercialisation of Arctic gas in the North Slope," Riddle told the NYT.
Novatek was also negotiating to supply technology to Polar LNG. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner discussed the proposed deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin in September, although it remains unclear whether they knew about the secret financing.
Novatek confirmed it was seeking "minority shareholder" status in the project.
The reported deal is among several energy agreements president Donald Trump is pursuing with Moscow amid efforts to end the Ukraine war, intensified Russian attacks and reduced US support for Kyiv.
Editorial: Now more than ever, all of Europe needs to step up in support of Ukraine
The Independent View:
After Donald Trump unilaterally declared an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine two weeks ago, Volodymyr Zelensky accepted it, even though it had come as news to him.
Ukrainian forces ceased their attacks on Russian refineries for a day or two, but as Vladimir Putin’s missiles and drones kept coming, the Ukrainians resumed their strikes.
It seems that President Trump had made up the ceasefire. “It was entirely in his head, which is where so many of his great diplomatic triumphs appear to occur,” as Sir Lawrence Freedman, the distinguished military analyst, observed.
Since then, the Russian assault on Ukraine, including the deliberate targeting of civilians, has intensified. As Sam Kiley, our world affairs editor, reports, “this murder and maiming of ordinary people in the deeply personal ‘hunting drone’ killings was once confined to frontline cities such as Kherson, where Russian pilots use headsets to guide small airborne weapons onto women, the elderly and anyone caught in the open”. Now several other Ukrainian cities have been added to the target list.
In depth: Putin targets Ukrainian civilians in barbaric ‘safari’ attacks as Trump turns blind eye
Vladimir Putin is targeting Ukrainian civilians in a surge of barbaric attacks across the country despite Donald Trump claiming that Russia is acting “fine” in the war, writes * World Affairs Editor* * Sam Kiley.*
New figures released by the UN this week show the number of Ukrainian civilian casualties in September rose by 85 per cent compared with the year before.
First-person drones, long-range glide bombs, ballistic rockets and new jet-powered Shahed cruise missiles are being used in the attacks as winter closes in. No one is off limits. Children, babies, mothers in the park, elderly fruit vendors.
From Kherson to Kharkiv, Kyiv to Kramatorsk, “hunting drone safaris” picking off ordinary people are taking the war far beyond the front lines.
Of the 328 people killed and 2,105 injured last month, 53 per cent of casualties were caused by missiles and long-range drones while 23 per cent were caused by short-range drones.
Read the full story here:
Recap: Elon Musk accuses Ukraine of violating Starlink usage terms with drone strikes
Ukraine said on Saturday that the Starlink satellite system and its military version Starshield were now fully functional after over a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations and intensified tensions with the US. But hours later, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, whose company owns Starlink, accused the Ukrainian military of violating the company's terms. Neither Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield using Starlink technology, had taken responsibility for imposing the curbs.
"Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week," Musk said on X. Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said on the Telegram app that the country is "physically unable" to use Starlink for long- and medium-range attack drone operations.
Ukraine's general staff and defence ministry did not immediately comment. Starshield's problems occurred after US President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel while pressing Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries.
Ukrainian officials said the restrictions, which capped Starshield operations at speeds of 160 kph (100 mph), hampered the military's ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations. "The main thing for today is that Starlink and Starshield have resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds. The speeds are now at the level we need," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram before Musk's statement.
According to Zelenskiy, the speeds `started returning to normal overnight. Ukraine's defence ministry said on Saturday the connection remained stable at over 400 kph. Ukraine does not rely on Starlink for long-range drone operations on Russian territory, including attacks on refineries. It operates at speeds no higher than 70-90 kph, Beskrestnov said.
But it remains vital for frontline communications, and the deployment of fast Starshield-enabled medium-range attack drones has helped Ukraine gain the upper hand in several areas of the battlefield this year.
Explosions rock Russian petrochemical plant hit by drone strike
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian petrochemical plant in Togliatti overnight, Kyiv's general staff said on Saturday.
The attack caused an explosion and fire, it said on the Telegram app.
Togliatti is home to Russia's largest carmaker Avtovaz and major ammonia producer Togliattiazot.
Togloatti mayor Ilya Sukhikh said several industrial facilities were damaged in the attack.
Ukraine says Starlink speed limits lifted after a slowdown that hobbled its drones
Ukraine’s military has regained full use of Starlink satellite links for its drones and other fast-moving equipment, the defense minister said Saturday, ending speed restrictions that Ukrainian officials said had disrupted front-line operations for more than a week.
The restoration comes as U.S. envoys launched a new push to end the war. Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localized ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump around Oleshky, a war-ravaged, Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.
The Kremlin says a first tanker of Russian diesel sets sail for the US despite Ukraine's protests
A first tanker carrying Russian diesel to the United States under a new import agreement has set sail, the Kremlin said Friday, two weeks after President Donald Trump said he struck a deal with President Vladimir Putin despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
“The first oil tanker has sailed off to customers, and regular supplies will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said without elaborating.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this week that the first shipment would amount to 40,000 tons of diesel, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Elon Musk accuses Ukraine of 'violating' terms of Starlink use
Elon Musk accused Ukraine of violating the terms of Starlink’s use in a post on X on Saturday.
Ukraine said that the Starlink satellite system and its military version Starshield were now fully functional after over a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations and intensified tensions with the US. But hours later, Mr Musk, who owns the systems, accused the Ukrainian military of violating Starlink’s terms.
“Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week”, he said on X. There were no immediate public comment from Ukrainian officials.
Watch: Russian attack damages shopping center and residential buildings in Ukraine’s Rivne region
Ukraine’s survival cannot depend on Elon Musk and Donald Trump
Almost a fortnight on from the first signs that something was amiss with Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite network, the fog of war remains around what happened, why, and, more importantly, how it has altered the outcome of the conflict.
Donald Trump’s account of events remains vague – but he did say that Elon Musk, whose SpaceX company owns the 10,000-plus satellites and their systems, had “put it back”. “It”, presumably, being the hitherto secure and reliable connections to both Starlink and its military variant, Starshield, both of which are heavily relied upon by the Ukrainian military.
