WSJ: Musk personally ordered slowdown of Starlink used by Ukraine's military

Elon Musk ordered restrictions on the military-grade Starlink satellite service used by Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported. The limits took effect on Oct. 14 and disrupted Ukrainian strike and interceptor drones, according to media reports.

SpaceX owner Elon Musk personally ordered a slowdown of the military-grade version of Starlink satellite internet used by Ukraine's armed forces, The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 20, citing US officials and other people familiar with the matter.

According to the Kyiv Post, the restrictions took effect on Oct. 14 and capped connectivity for terminals moving at about 160 kilometers per hour or faster, grounding some Ukrainian strike and interceptor drones and disrupting attacks and air defense operations.

Talks with Trump

Vehicles loaded with equipment delivered to a Ukrainian army unit (file)

According to the WSJ, Musk and President Donald Trump discussed the decision both before it was made and in a phone call soon after the slowdown became public. Musk had earlier said the limits were decided by the US military or the president.

Reuters said it could not immediately verify the WSJ report, and Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not respond to its requests for comment. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington had not pulled back Ukraine's access to the Starlink network, pointing instead to terms of service Kyiv needed to comply with.

Zelensky: US decisions fuel the war

The Starlink restrictions had already drawn a sharp reaction in Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC that the suspension of US sanctions on Russia, a "diesel deal" and the Starlink limits amounted to support for Russian aggression.

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