Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown Affecting Ukraine’s Military Operations: WSJ
A report says Elon Musk directed restrictions on a military-grade satellite service used by Ukraine, as Kyiv seeks to restore access amid strained US relations.
GG News Bureau
Washington, 22nd Oct: Elon Musk reportedly ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service used by Ukraine last week, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.
SpaceX, Musk and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.
Ukraine relies on Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations. Restrictions on the satellite service have reportedly hampered Ukrainian attack and air-defence drone missions against Russia.
Starlink Restrictions Draw Political Attention
According to the report, Musk and US President Donald Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public. They had also reportedly discussed the issue before the decision was taken.
Reuters had earlier reported that the order to limit the military-grade satellite system, Starshield, came from within the White House.
Trump said last week that he did not believe either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access. Musk, meanwhile, said decisions on limits involving the service were made by the US military or the president.
Zelenskyy Seeks Restoration of Access
The reported restrictions come as relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Washington face renewed strain over US policy towards Russia and the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, who travelled to Oslo in an effort to repair relations with the United States, said on Tuesday that he had discussed the situation involving Starlink and Starshield with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He said the satellite services needed to be restored.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Washington had not withdrawn Ukraine’s ability to access Starlink’s satellite network. However, he suggested the issue was linked to the terms of service that Kyiv needed to comply with.
The situation remains subject to further clarification from US officials and SpaceX, with Ukraine continuing to seek reliable satellite connectivity for its military operations.
