Elon Musk urges "sympathy" for Russian conscripts

SpaceX and Tesla chief Elon Musk has drawn criticism after saying people should have "sympathy" for Russian conscripts fighting in the war against Ukraine, Ukrainian outlets LIGA.net, TSN and UNN reported.

"The endless killing of Ukrainians and Russians must stop. We should also have some sympathy for the poor Russian conscripts. These guys have no choice but to fight and die in drone strikes," Musk wrote on X on October 25. According to TSN, he made the remark in reply to the artist Skscartoon, who had written ironically that "the reason Elon gave Ukraine Starlink is exactly the same reason he restricted it: he wants to save lives." Ukrainian outlets noted that Musk's statement did not mention that Russia invaded Ukraine and that Russian troops are fighting on Ukrainian territory.

A day earlier, on October 24, Musk accused the Ukrainian military of violating Starlink's terms of service by using the civilian commercial service for offensive drone strikes. Serhii Beskrestnov, a non-staff technology adviser to Ukraine's president, rejected the claim, saying that since February 2026 all Starlink terminals in Ukraine, including occupied areas, have been subject to a movement speed limit of 70-90 km/h, and that the service does not operate in Russia. "Thus, we physically cannot use commercial Starlink for deep strikes and mid-range strikes," he said. Ukrainian specialists explained that military operations on moving platforms rely on Starshield, the satellite system for US government and military use. Citing an anonymous source in Ukraine's Presidential Office, The Washington Post reported that SpaceX had not contacted the Ukrainian side about the accusations.

The Starlink and Starshield issue has also drawn attention in the US Congress. Reuters reported that Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal opened an inquiry on October 22 through the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations into the October 13 restriction of Ukraine's Starshield service, asking the Pentagon for answers by November 5 and SpaceX officials for a briefing by November 12. Senator Adam Schiff told NBC's "Meet the Press" on October 25 that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should testify before the Senate on the matter.

Sources: LIGA.net, TSN, UNN, Reuters, NBC News