Elon Musk is not mincing words over a dispute involving Starlink's activities in Ukraine. 

In the latest controversy over one of Musk's companies, the tech billionaire dropped plenty of truth bombs. And unlike the bombs being dropped in Russia and Ukraine, those aren't harming anyone.

Musk responded Saturday to hit pieces on SpaceX's decision to restrict certain satellite communications capabilities used by Ukrainian forces. And he had some particularly harsh words for those demanding that SpaceX escalate the protracted war.

The controversy intensified after CNBC reported Friday that Ukrainian officials were still experiencing restrictions on Starlink and Starshield, disrupting drone operations against Russian forces. 

According to the report, drones traveling faster than approximately 100 miles per hour were losing connectivity, interfering with some Ukrainian military operations.

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The CNBC article provided critical context for the brewing dispute between Musk and Zelensky.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump spoke to Musk by phone about lifting the restrictions on Ukraine’s Starshield terminals. Trump said Thursday he didn’t “want to comment one way or the other” about whether he made the call to Musk, and added, “The bottom line, he put it back.”

But on Friday, Trump insisted that he hadn’t spoken with Musk, and reiterated that Starshield service had been restored.

“I’ve heard it was fixed,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “But if it’s not, I’ll speak to him.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that restrictions on Starlink and Starshield “are still there,” and added, “The speed has not been restored.” He claimed the country is waiting for the U.S. to deliver missile interceptors “that were already agreed on.”

“Things have become harder — partly because of the Starlink and Starshield policies and speed limits,” Zelensky wrote. “But our frontline is still holding and I am proud of how strong our people are.”

This is typical of the Ukrainian president to bite the hand that feeds its ability to keep the war going.

It is exactly the kind of entitled mentality that angers Americans who don't want anything to do with perpetuating the war.

Musk fired back at the "evil warmongers" who seem heavily invested in making sure the quagmire doesn't end any time soon.

"Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be," Musk wrote Saturday.

"Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them."

This is not hard to understand. Starlink provides commercial satellite internet service. Starshield is SpaceX's separate offering developed for government and national security applications.

And SpaceX's published terms of service explicitly state that ordinary Starlink equipment is not intended for use with offensive or defensive weaponry.

The company's acceptable-use policy also prohibits remotely operating drones without contractual authorization. Musk says Ukrainian forces crossed that line.

"Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week."

But he also stressed that SpaceX has provided essential communications infrastructure to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

"Starlink remains critical to the defense of Ukraine, as it is the only system that cannot be jammed or blown up, at least for now," Musk wrote.

"Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. This is NOT a threat, it is simply a statement of fact."

Musk then reminded critics of the company's role during the earliest stages of the Russian invasion.

"Starlink was also crucial to preventing Russia from overrunning Ukraine in the early days of the war, as all other means of communication were destroyed or jammed by Russia."

"SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR."

Then came the fireworks.

"That said, I have nothing but UTTER CONTEMPT for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict. May you burn in hell."

"End of story."

According to Reuters, Ukrainian officials announced on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield were once again operating at their previous speeds.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the restoration began overnight, while defense officials reported that connections were functioning at speeds exceeding 400 kilometers per hour.

Musk's broader point, however, remains a question of responsibility. Providing satellite communications that help a nation defend itself is not necessarily the same thing as authorizing civilian communications equipment to be incorporated into offensive weapons systems. As Musk says, the latter was never part of the deal.

More importantly, Zelensky has turned Musk into a powerful adversary with his ingratitude and refusal to seek a peace deal.

Zelensky has signaled that he has no intention of ending the war without defeating Russia.

There may be another powerful incentive to prolong the conflict: the prospect of facing a presidential election once the fighting ends. A defeat at the ballot box could expose him to investigations and potentially prosecution, a familiar fate for Ukraine's former leaders.

Leonid Kuchma faced murder-related charges, Viktor Yushchenko was investigated over bribery allegations, Viktor Yanukovych was convicted of treason and sentenced to 13 years in prison, and Petro Poroshenko was also charged with treason.

Against that backdrop, Zelensky may have personal political reasons to fear what comes after the war. And on top of all of that, Musk has called for Zelensky to "go."

The Ukrainian president has also turned Secretary of State Marco Rubio into a fierce critic, as RedState recently covered.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is fed up with Ukrainian officials suggesting the United States is responsible for civilian deaths because it is purportedly withholding military aid.

And considering the extraordinary amount of American support Ukraine has received since Russia's 2022 invasion, Rubio's frustration is warranted.

Speaking to reporters amid growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv, Rubio shot down accusations the Trump administration is responsible for Ukraine's war casualties.

"I don't know who this official was in the Ukrainian government that went around saying that a bunch of people had died as a result of what America was denying them," Rubio said.

"No country in the world has done more to help Ukraine over the last four and a half years in the United States, including under the Trump administration."

The Russia-Ukraine War has been a disaster. But alongside of that, it has been a disaster for Western international relations. 

While the West has propped up a corrupt Ukrainian regime, its corrupt oligarchs have reaped a windfall. Musk also addressed the perverse incentives being caused by the war funding.

"What’s actually going on in Ukraine is that there is a massive incentive difference between the elites and the people," he said. "The former have grown very rich off the hundreds of billions flowing to Ukraine, while the latter’s children are conscripted to die in trenches."

This is undoubtedly true. As I've remarked elsewhere, "This is the root of the problem. War is big business in Ukraine for corrupt oligarchs. Since the West keeps flooding the country with billions of dollars, business has been very, very good."