In an October 22 interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explained how Ukraine is fighting back against Iranian-designed jet-powered drones used by Russia. He said Starshield is the military version of Starlink, and that Ukraine found a way to destroy the jet drones with new interceptor drones that depend on fast connections through the satellite network. In the same interview he said Ukraine does not use Starlink to attack Russian military or energy targets. The comments went viral online under headlines claiming he "admitted" using Starlink for drone warfare, but the context he gave was defensive, aimed at stopping attack drones that were hitting Ukrainian cities. Musk then pushed back, saying Starlink is a civilian service barred from offensive strikes and that Starshield is a separate system controlled by the U.S. government.

On Saturday, Musk went further and said Ukraine's armed forces had violated Starlink's terms of service by using it for offensive drone strikes. Zelensky's adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov disputed that, saying speed restrictions and the lack of service over Russian territory made Ukraine physically unable to use commercial Starlink for medium- and long-range strikes. Musk also said that Starlink remains critical to Ukraine's defense and that the front line would collapse immediately without it. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said full Starlink and Starshield speeds were restored on Saturday, though Zelensky has said he does not know who ordered the earlier restrictions. The big questions are where the line between civilian and military use is drawn, who has the power to decide it, and whether the country can count on a service it does not control.