Elon Musk’s SpaceX has limited Ukraine’s ability to use Starlink for military purposes following reports that the country was using the satellite internet service to control drones.
During the early stages of the war, Musk gave thousands of Starlink dishes to Ukraine that helped people stay connected to the internet, via satellites, even after Russia looked to block internet and social media access in the war-torn country.
no good deed goes unpunished 😕
— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) January 31, 2023
However, Ukraine reportedly violated SpaceX’s policies by misusing unmanned aircraft technology to locate Russian troops, drop bombs, and counter Russia’s drone attacks.
Starlink’s Stance
Addressing the report during an event in Washington DC on Wednesday, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell stressed that the technology had been provided to Kyiv for humanitarian use and was “never meant to be weaponised.”
Shotwell added that although it was acceptable for the Ukrainian military to use Starlink to facilitate communication, the company’s intent was “never to have them use it for offensive purposes.”
Any weapons supply, including long-range missiles, various aircraft & armored vehicles, isn't a sign of direct involvement of donor countries in the conflict either legally or practically. RF is the only initiator of the war of aggression. 🇺🇦 is defending its territory on its own
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) February 9, 2023
She added that SpaceX had accordingly taken steps to “limit” the Ukrainian military’s abilities, without giving further details.
The president also refused to confirm whether the Starlink outage late last year was due to the same reason.
Meanwhile, Musk has previously accused Russia of attempting to jam Starlink signals.
Ukrainian Response
The company’s decision has been met with criticism in Ukraine.
A year of 🇺🇦 resistance & companies have to decide:
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) February 9, 2023
-Either they are on the side of 🇺🇦 & the right to freedom, and don’t seek ways to do harm.
-Or they are on RF’s side & its "right" to kill & seize territories.#SpaceX (Starlink) & Mrs. #Shotwell should choose a specific option
Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, tweeted on Thursday that after a year of Ukrainian resistance, companies now had to decide if they were on Ukraine’s side and “the right to freedom,” or on Russia’s side and its “right to kill and seize territories.”
He called on SpaceX’s Shotwell to “choose a specific option.”