Elon Musk has said SpaceX restricted Ukraine’s use of its Starlink satellite internet service after accusing the country’s military of breaching its terms by using the civilian network for offensive drone strikes. Ukrainian officials have reported that connectivity has stabilised, with military drones once again reaching the speeds required for operations.

Musk’s comments on Saturday followed more than a week of reported connection problems that Ukraine said had disrupted its defensive operations. The issue emerged amid growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.

“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” Musk wrote on X. He said Ukrainian forces had violated the service’s terms and that SpaceX had closed the loophole the previous week.

Musk also rejected suggestions that SpaceX was responsible for problems affecting Starshield, a separate, military-grade satellite communications system controlled by the US government. He said SpaceX had done more to defend Ukraine than any other private company, while stressing that decisions concerning Starshield rested with Washington.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov questioned Musk’s account, saying the restrictions on Starlink in Ukraine made the claims difficult to understand. He said drones using the commercial service were limited to speeds of around 70 to 90 kilometres per hour and could not operate on Russian territory.

“Therefore, we physically cannot use commercial Starlink for deep strikes and medium-range strikes,” Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram. Ukraine’s defence ministry had not immediately commented on Musk’s latest statements.

Ukraine uses Starlink to maintain communications between military units, particularly in remote battlefield areas. Starshield provides more specialised capabilities, including support for drone operators who need real-time information about targets.

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday that the military was recording a stable connection. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also reported that drone speeds had returned to the required levels. Kyiv had previously said connectivity could fail when drones exceeded 161 kilometres per hour.

US President Donald Trump said he had asked Musk to restore the service, although he has repeatedly denied instructing SpaceX to restrict it. Musk did not explain why the company changed the service’s capabilities after years of Ukraine’s military relying on Starlink.

The disruption coincided with a diplomatic dispute over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Kyiv says are important sources of revenue for Moscow’s war effort. Trump has criticised the attacks, linking them to pressure on global fuel prices. However, the conflict involving Iran has been a major driver of energy market volatility this year.

Meanwhile, fighting continued across Ukraine. Emergency services reported three people killed and 15 injured in attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region, including an 11-year-old girl. Six others were injured when a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Vinnytsia.

Russia also reported strikes on Ukrainian logistics facilities, while Ukrainian authorities said their forces had attacked a facility operated by a sanctioned heavy machinery manufacturer in the Russian city of Oryol. Russian authorities said three people were killed there.

Thousands of people took to the streets in Italy’s major cities on Saturday to protest rising living costs, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government and conflicts in the Middle East. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, although confrontations with security forces occurred in several cities and nine people were arrested nationwide.

Tensions were reported towards the evening in Turin, Florence, Bologna and Rome. Authorities deployed additional security personnel following violence during demonstrations the previous weekend, with police officers and soldiers patrolling city centres.

In Milan, around 500 soldiers were deployed in response to attacks on shops during the earlier protests.

Demonstrators in Florence, Turin, Milan and Rome gathered in smaller groups rather than organising a single main march. Protesters attempted to reach central areas but were blocked by security forces in several locations.

In Rome, a group broke away from the main demonstration on Via Cavour and headed towards the Colosseum. The protesters entered the historic Flavian Amphitheatre, chanting slogans and displaying placards before authorities escorted them out of the site.

Later, a young demonstrator stood in front of a police water cannon vehicle as it moved forward for a short distance. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show officers forcibly pulling him away from the vehicle.

In Florence, tensions rose when protesters attempted to cross the Santa Trìnita bridge. Police maintained a security cordon and used batons as demonstrators pushed towards the barrier.

In Bologna, authorities prevented a march from proceeding towards Via Marconi and Via Reno. Some demonstrators threw bottles and other objects at security forces, who responded with water cannon and tear gas.

Milan experienced a calmer day overall, with at least three marches joining together and moving through streets around the city centre. Verbal confrontations were reported between demonstrators and some far-right activists.

According to the Department of Public Security, nine people were arrested and 87 were reported to the authorities by the end of the day. Police also took 371 people to stations for checks, including 110 minors and 69 foreign nationals.

In Milan, 30-year-old Youssef Siher was detained and placed under investigation on suspicion of aggravated incitement to commit a crime. He was alleged to have been behind the “17 October Movement”, a group through which thousands of people reportedly shared information about participating in the previous weekend’s demonstrations. The allegations had not been established in court.

Meloni praised the security operation in a social media post on Saturday evening, saying the right to demonstrate must be protected alongside public safety.

“Safety must be guaranteed for everyone,” she said, referring to peaceful protesters, people going to work and residents who want to live in their cities without fear. She added that authorities should not allow those seeking confrontation and violence to dominate public spaces.

The demonstrations reflected public discontent over living costs and government policies, while the incidents highlighted the challenge facing authorities in maintaining order without restricting peaceful protest.

Around 87% of residents in the United Arab Emirates believe their government is well prepared to deal with disasters, compared with just 14% of respondents in Lebanon, highlighting a significant divide in public confidence across the Middle East and North Africa, according to a new international survey.

The worldwide risk poll, conducted by Gallup for the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, is based on more than 143,000 interviews across 140 countries and territories in 2025. It examines how individuals, households and communities prepare for major emergencies, withstand disruption and recover from disasters.

Among the countries covered in the regional data, Kuwait recorded a resilience score of 74 points, followed by Bahrain at 72. Oman and the UAE each scored 70, well above the global average of 57.

Confidence in government preparedness was particularly high in the Gulf. The UAE ranked second among 133 countries included in the resilience index, with 87% of respondents saying their government was prepared for disasters. Bahrain recorded 82%.

The findings were markedly different in parts of the Levant. Lebanon scored 48 on the resilience index, while Iraq recorded 49 and Palestine 52. In Lebanon, only 39% of people affected by a disaster said they had received an advance warning, compared with 80% globally.

Public perceptions of government support were also low. Around 59% of Iraqi respondents and 56% of Lebanese respondents said their governments did not care about them at all, against a global average of 29%.

Financial insecurity emerged as another concern. More than half of households in Iraq, Jordan and Palestine said they would be unable to meet basic needs for a month if they lost their income.

Lebanon also recorded high levels of concern about personal safety and health. Some 71% of respondents worried that drinking water could seriously harm their health, placing the country fifth globally on this measure. Around 90% expressed concern about violent crime, the sixth-highest proportion worldwide.

North Africa Shows Improvement

North Africa recorded the largest regional improvement in disaster resilience, with its index score rising by five points since 2023. The report linked progress in Algeria and Egypt to wider internet access, improved household preparedness and stronger financial capacity to cope with emergencies.

Despite high temperatures across the region, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE were among the countries whose residents expressed relatively low concern about heatwaves and drought. In Israel, fewer than 1% of the population had been affected by a disaster during the period covered by the survey.

Globally, approximately 1.1 billion adults experienced a disaster in the five years preceding the poll. Nearly 220 million received no advance warning.

The survey found a substantial gap between income groups. About one-third of adults in low-income countries reported experiencing a disaster, compared with 16% in high-income countries. Among those affected, 64% in low-income countries received advance warnings, against 84% in wealthier nations.

Warnings were more effective when delivered through multiple channels. Some 37% of people alerted through one channel took preventive action, rising to 51% when two channels were used and 64% when three were used.

Of those who experienced disasters without advance warning, 77% owned a mobile phone, representing more than 170 million people worldwide. The findings point to the potential role of mobile technology in improving emergency alerts and helping communities prepare for future disasters.