A no-holds-barred back-and-forth which, if possible, indirectly renews the distance between Kiev and Washington. Volodymyr Zelensky reports that restrictions on satellite communications used by Ukrainian forces have not been lifted. Elon Musk responds to the controversy by attacking the country’s elite: they have become very rich thanks to the aid, while the children of the population are sent to die on the front.
The conflict takes place as Kiev continues to report problems in using the SpaceX network, despite Donald Trump having announced the restoration of the service. At the center there are limitations which, according to the Ukrainian authorities, interrupt the connection when the terminals exceed a speed of about 160 kilometers per hour (essential in the case of drones), hindering some military operations.
Zelensky’s accusation: the restrictions are still active
Speaking online at the Hudson Institute in Washington, Zelensky reported that Ukraine had carried out checks on the functioning of Starlink both in the civilian context and near the front. According to the Ukrainian president, the speed limit remains set at 161 kilometers per hour. The United States, he added, has again promised to take up the issue.
A source from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, quoted by AFP, also reported the persistence of problems: “This morning, cases of signal loss at speeds of 161 km/h continue to be observed. At the moment there is no confirmation that the restrictions have been lifted.”
The reports reported by the agency concern in particular Starshield, SpaceX’s military satellite communications system, distinct from the Starlink commercial network. Signal disruption beyond that threshold would especially complicate interceptor drone missions and some medium-range attack operations.
Musk’s tweet against Ukrainian leaders
After the accusations about service interruptions, Musk responded directly on X, the social network he owns. His message, however, shifts attention from the problems of the network to the management of the war and the aid destined for Kiev.
What “is really happening in Ukraine,” he writes, is a “huge difference in incentives between the elites and the people”: “The former have become very rich thanks to the billions flowing into Ukraine and the sons of the latter are conscripted to die in the trenches.” An attack on the Ukrainian leaders who, in the reported message, does not clarify the reasons for the restrictions denounced by Kiev nor confirm their removal. But it shifts the controversy to the management of the conflict.
Trump defends Musk: “He would never do anything wrong”
A diatribe that also calls into question the leaders of the American administration. Trump had assured that Musk had reactivated Starshield. The Wall Street Journal had reported a personal intervention by the American president on the owner of SpaceX to obtain the lifting of the limits and an improvement in the service, but without its full restoration.
Faced with the new Ukrainian reports, the American president promised further checks: “I heard that the problem has been resolved, but if not I will talk to him about it.” He also stated that he had not yet spoken to Musk, defending his actions: “He is a very good person. He would never do anything bad. He is extremely intelligent, otherwise Starlink simply would not exist. He is an honest person.”
The question of responsibility remains open. Musk had suggested that the decision on restrictions was up to the US government. The White House, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Pentagon have denied having issued instructions to restrict the service. A mystery that has repercussions on the armed forces, on the government of Kiev and on the inhabitants of a territory tormented by almost five years of Russian invasion.