The restrictions on Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine may be related not only to the rules for using the system, but also to Elon Musk's attempt to direct Ukrainian forces and their allies to the more expensive Starshield military service. This is suggested by the American magazine The Atlantic in an analysis cited by UNIAN.
In mid-October, SpaceX limited the speed of operation of some terminals during movement. This affected the flights of drones, communications and the performance of individual military tasks. On October 24, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that the speed of Starlink and Starshield had been restored, including when moving above 400 km/h.
The difference in price reaches hundreds of times
Over 250,000 Starlink terminals are used in the combat zone in Ukraine. According to data cited by The Atlantic, SpaceX received up to $ 2,500 per terminal per month from the Ukrainian government. During the outages that occurred in October, US officials asked the company about the reasons, and SpaceX offered an extended contract as a condition for restoring access.
Starshield was introduced by Musk in late 2022 as a service for military customers. A typical Starlink terminal costs about $30 a month to maintain, while a Starshield can cost up to $25,000 a month.
Despite the higher price, Ukrainian forces continue to rely heavily on standard Starlink terminals. According to data cited by The Atlantic, Starshield terminals make up less than one percent of all devices in the combat zone.
How the dependency came about
Early in the war, Musk handed over thousands of Starlink antennas to Ukraine. They were used in hospitals, power plants, and government facilities, and later the Ukrainian military began using them to control drones and for tactical communications.
„They use Starlink for everything – drones, troop control, tactical battlefield communications“, a senior U.S. military official was quoted as saying by The Atlantic.
According to the analysis, the standard service has become widely available through donors and the commercial market, while Starshield is being provided in limited quantities through official government channels. This has left Ukraine dependent on a service whose terms prohibit military use, but which SpaceX has not consistently implemented.
The more expensive service model
The Atlantic notes that in the spring of 2026, SpaceX increased the price of Starshield for U.S. operations related to Iran from about $5,000 to $25,000 per month per terminal. The Pentagon has accepted the higher price.
The publication suggests that a similar approach could be applied in the case of Ukraine – limiting the use of Starlink for military purposes, which would create pressure to switch to the more expensive Starshield. This remains a version, not an officially confirmed motive of SpaceX.
Musk said that the restrictions were introduced due to an alleged violation by Ukrainian forces of the terms of use of Starlink. Ukraine reported that access to Starlink and Starshield has been restored, but dependence on the system continues, since a full-fledged European analogue is not yet operating on the same scale.
Sources: unian.net, theatlantic.com, apnews.com