Details Emerge on How Musk Restricted Starlink Services for Ukrainian Military — WSJ

American billionaire Elon Musk ordered a reduction in the operating speed of the military version of Starlink, on which Ukrainian defense forces rely. According to media reports, this decision has caused concern in Kyiv and confusion within the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

 

This is reported in an article by The Wall Street Journal, which cites sources.

The publication notes that both Musk and Trump have expressed dissatisfaction with Ukraine over its strikes on Russian oil refineries in recent weeks, which the president blames for high energy prices.

According to the sources, last week Musk limited the speed at which Ukrainian equipment could connect to the satellite network, rendering some strike and intercept drones virtually useless.

Two sources reported that Musk and Trump discussed the decision regarding Starlink during a phone call shortly after news of the speed limit became public.

One of the sources also claimed that Musk and Trump had discussed the issue even before the decision to limit Starlink’s speed was made.

Public complaints by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—specifically that Ukrainians could die if unlimited service were not restored— — led to widespread confusion over who had ordered the speed reduction, as well as an unofficial investigation at the White House.

According to these sources, amid the ensuing scandal, SpaceX representatives reached out to their White House counterparts in an effort to reach a common understanding and draft a joint statement that the company and the Trump administration had coordinated their actions before Musk issued the order.

Musk himself, after information about the speed reduction became public, wrote on X: “Any speed or usage limits are set by the U.S. military and, ultimately, the U.S. president.”

On Monday, Trump told reporters that he did not know who was responsible for the Starlink speed reduction, “but I would like to find out.”

Some U.S. officials claim that Musk acted unilaterally and that Trump did not specifically order any retaliatory measures against Ukraine.

However, a source familiar with the situation reported that Musk spoke with several administration officials, including Trump, before implementing the new speed limit, which, according to Ukrainian officials, allowed Russian missiles to bypass their air defense systems.

Source: WSJ

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the restrictions on Starlink’s operation for Ukrainian military drones in an interview with Piers Morgan. According to him, this could lead to significant casualties.

American entrepreneur Elon Musk explained who makes decisions regarding the use of the Starshield military satellite system. His statement came after reports of communication disruptions during the operation of Ukrainian drones.

In the U.S., SpaceX owner Elon Musk stated that decisions regarding speed limits or how StarShield systems are used are made by the U.S. Armed Forces, with President Donald Trump having the final say.