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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Dan Sabbagh in Poltava

Fury in Ukraine as Elon Musk’s SpaceX limits Starlink use for drones

A Ukrainian soldier disconnects a Starlink terminal on the frontline in the Luhansk region.
A Ukrainian soldier disconnects a Starlink terminal on the frontline in the Luhansk region. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

A senior Ukrainian presidential aide has reacted with anger after Elon Musk’s SpaceX said it had taken steps to prevent its Starlink satellite communications service from controlling drones, which are critical to Kyiv’s forces in fighting off the Russian invasion.

Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s chief operating officer, said at a conference in the US that the surprise decision had been taken because it had never been the company’s intention to allow Starlink to be used “for offensive purposes”.

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