Musk shares post calling Ukraine's Starlink aid a mistake after Zelensky's criticism

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, amplified a social-media post on X that labeled the delivery of free Starlink terminals to Ukraine as a "mistake". The repost came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that too much power was concentrated in the hands of a single wealthy individual, describing the situation as dangerous.

"There is too much power in the hands of one very wealthy person. Such a concentration of power is dangerous," Zelensky said on Nov. 5.

The reposted message argued that the initial provision of thousands of free dishes and subsidised service had unintentionally supported autonomous killing drones, and that criticism arose when the service was not used for military purposes. Musk shared the post without adding comment.

Ukraine continues to use both commercial Starlink terminals and the militarised Starshield system. In mid-October, a speed cap was placed on Starshield, temporarily limiting its ability to counter Russian drones, a move Kyiv said cost civilian lives. The restriction has since been lifted.

Musk has previously accused Ukraine of breaching service terms by employing commercial Starlink for offensive drone strikes, a claim Kyiv rejected, noting that commercial services do not operate inside Russia.

The Pentagon’s inspector general declined a bipartisan request from U.S. senators to investigate the Starlink disruption. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have indicated plans to examine Musk’s business activities and his ties to the current administration.