Elon Musk refuses to allow Ukraine to use his Starlink network

American billionaire Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, which is in charge of the Starlink satellite Internet access system, has confirmed that Kyiv can no longer use this network for the control of combat drones.

Already icy, relations between Elon Musk and the Ukrainian government are likely to strain a little more.

Starlink was “never intended to be weaponized,” SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Wednesday at an event in Washington, noting that it’s against the parties’ agreement.

Kyiv uses drones for tracking but also to drop bombs on Russian positions, as the BBC reminds us. Gwynne Shotwell said Starlink should only be used for communications.

The company has therefore decided to “limit” the capacities of the service, without giving more details on the technical measures taken.