Musk Throttled Ukraine Starlink Access Without White House Consult, Report Says

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made the decision to limit Ukraine's access to a military version of Starlink satellite internet service, which is critical for its drone operations, without consulting the White House, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The throttling occurred on October 14.

The military-grade service, known as Starshield, is vital for Ukraine's ability to operate offensive and interceptor drones. The limitations imposed meant that objects traveling faster than 100 mph could not connect to Starshield, directly interfering with drone operations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed the issues to the US and SpaceX. The service disruption coincided with Russian drone attacks on Ukraine's power plants, occurring shortly after a fragile energy cease-fire brokered by former President Trump on October 11.

Musk, however, denied limiting access in an October 14 post on X, stating that "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." He also reiterated that Starlink is a commercial service owned by SpaceX and is intended for civilian or defensive activities, not offensive military actions.

Former President Trump and other administration officials have denied any US interference. Trump told reporters that he was unaware of any slowdown and that it was not his or Musk's decision. Reports from Reuters and The Telegraph have offered differing accounts regarding who was ultimately responsible for the throttling.

An administration official told The Post that the issue was a "Pentagon freelancing" matter and not a directive from the White House. Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied any lapse in Starlink services or intelligence sharing with Kyiv, describing reports of US directives to deny warnings of strikes as "scandalous" and "outrageous."

Zelensky stated that the message to limit Starlink speed came from the "American government" and that "technically, SpaceX did it." He also previously criticized a side deal Trump made with Russia to purchase diesel exports, calling it "weak," which led Trump to suggest Ukraine needed a new president.