Elon Musk Restricted Ukraine's Starlink Access, Thwarting Drone Strikes, Report Claims

Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, was responsible for throttling Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite communications system, according to multiple U.S. officials who spoke with The Wall Street Journal and CBS News. This decision limited the speed at which Ukraine's hardware could maintain its connection to the network, rendering some of the country's drones and interceptor drones inoperable at a critical time.

While Musk publicly blamed Donald Trump for the decision to restrict Kyiv's access, the officials indicated that Musk made the call independently. One person familiar with the matter stated that Musk and Trump had discussed the matter before Musk proceeded, and others suggested Musk engaged in several conversations with administration officials to gauge the then-President's thinking. However, two other sources reported that Trump had no input on the decision, with Musk acting alone. A call between Trump and Musk regarding the slowdown reportedly occurred after the restriction became public.

Musk's actions effectively hampered Kyiv's ability to protect itself from incoming Russian drone attacks. Michael Kofman, a war expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, commented that "Ukrainian forces continue to be throttled in their ability to employ strike drones and interceptor drones."

The exact motivations behind Musk's decision remain unclear, though one source suggested it stemmed from a reluctance to profit from the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Musk stated on X, formerly Twitter, last week that any changes to the system would have required approval from the Pentagon and, by extension, the U.S. president.

Ukraine's top diplomat in Washington indicated that the nation was awaiting an official response from contacts with the Pentagon and SpaceX to understand the situation and confirm whether connectivity had been or would be restored. Connectivity was reportedly restored by Wednesday evening.

Starlink satellites provide high-speed internet essential for Ukraine's military communications and drone warfare. While Starlink is primarily for civilian use, Starshield is its military-grade counterpart designed for the Pentagon. The U.S. government has authorized Ukraine's use of both services in its defense against Russia.

This incident occurred amid a period of diplomatic tension between Ukraine and Trump. Late Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. officials hailed "hailed very productive" talks in Oslo, seeking to move past recent disputes. Following discussions with Trump's envoys in the Norwegian capital, Zelensky expressed gratitude for the resumption of U.S. intelligence sharing regarding looming Russian strikes on civilian and energy targets. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was scheduled to travel to Russia to engage in talks with President Vladimir Putin concerning the war in Ukraine.