Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago2 min read
Elon Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown, Hampering Ukraine Drone And Air Defense Missions
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Musk ordered slowing the military Starlink service used by Ukraine. The slowdown affected Ukrainian drone operations and defense capabilities.
Starlink throttled in Ukraine
Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service used by Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing US officials and people familiar with the matter. Reuters reported it could not immediately verify the claim, while the report said the slowdown hampered Ukraine's attack and air defence drone missions against Russia.
The Wall Street Journal said Musk and US President Donald Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call shortly after the slowdown became public, and the report added they had also discussed the matter prior to the decision to throttle Starlink. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's relations with Washington have sunk to new lows after Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and waived new sanctions on Moscow, and Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he discussed "the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored" with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Who ordered the cap
Ukrainian officials said the restrictions reportedly interrupted connectivity when Ukrainian military equipment travelled faster than approximately 160 kilometres per hour, affecting certain attack drones, reconnaissance platforms and systems used to intercept Russian aerial threats. Trump denied that he or Musk was responsible for the loss of connectivity affecting Ukrainian operations, while Musk suggested that decisions concerning Starshield's military use ultimately fall under presidential authority.
Marco Rubio told journalists on Tuesday that "There has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine," and Rubio added that he had had a 45-minute conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday. Zelensky said the topics included ballistic missile interceptors, early warning of Russian attacks and the situation with Starlink and Starshield satellite services, and Ukraine's top diplomat in Washington, Denys Sienik, said Ukraine was "waiting for the official response from contacts with the Pentagon and SpaceX at the leaders' level".
Battlefield impact and next steps
The reported speed cap left Kyiv alarmed, and the Wall Street Journal said the decision effectively almost paralyzed some offensive and interception drones. Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov previously warned that the restrictions had caused several military missions to fail or be disrupted, and the impact was especially concerning for interceptor drones designed to counter Russian aerial weapons.
Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday Washington had not pulled back Ukraine's ability to access Starling's satellite network, but signalled the problem lay with the terms of service Kyiv needed to comply with. Denys Sienik said Ukraine was waiting for the official response from contacts with the Pentagon and SpaceX at the leaders' level to understand whether the connection had been restored or would be restored, as the controversy continued amid disagreements over Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries and the future of American military assistance to Kyiv.