Musk shuts Starlink ‘loophole’ that let Kiev ‘kill people’

SpaceX has closed a “loophole” that allowed the Ukrainian military to use the civilian satellite internet network for offensive drone strikes, Elon Musk has announced, telling warmongers who prolong the conflict to “burn in hell.”

The billionaire’s harsh remarks on Saturday come amid a deepening rift between Washington and Kiev, with US President Donald Trump accusing Vladimir Zelensky of repeatedly rejecting opportunities to end the conflict and worsening global fuel shortages by attacking Russian oil infrastructure.

“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” Musk wrote on X. “Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.”

The SpaceX CEO distinguished the commercial Starlink network from Starshield, a separate military-grade system controlled by the US government. “What they decide to do is up to them,” he said.

Musk concluded with a blistering attack on unnamed “warmongers” who keep pushing for war. His criticism echoes Trump’s increasingly harsh rhetoric toward Zelensky, whom the US president has accused of squandering numerous opportunities to negotiate an end to the fighting.

“I have nothing but UTTER CONTEMPT for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict. May you burn in hell,” Musk wrote.

The comments follow days of controversy over restrictions imposed on satellite services used by Ukrainian forces. Kiev claimed the slowdown had disrupted drone operations and initially suggested that Washington was responsible.

Trump denied that his administration had ordered the restrictions. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also rejected allegations of US government involvement, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Kiev against escalating the dispute.

Musk stressed that Starlink remains essential to Ukraine’s military communications and battlefield survival. “Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately,” he wrote, adding that the statement was “NOT a threat” but an assessment of the military’s dependence on the network.

On Saturday, Kiev announced that Starlink and Starshield had returned to their previous operating speeds, with Ukrainian officials thanking Trump and other American representatives for helping resolve the disruption.

Earlier this month, the SpaceX chief declared that “Zelensky has gone too far” after the Ukrainian leader called Trump’s deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease the global diesel crisis a “weak decision.”

Musk has also accused Ukrainian elites of enriching themselves through Western assistance while ordinary Ukrainians are sent to die on the battlefield. He further alleged that some American taxpayer money sent to Ukraine was being laundered back into US political campaigns.