Musk ordered Starlink slowdown that crippled Ukrainian drones

Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk ordered restrictions on the operational speed of Starshield, the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite network used by Ukrainian forces, in response to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian diesel refineries, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The move, which began on October 14, limited the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could remain connected to the satellite network. As a result, US officials and people familiar with the matter told the Journal that some offensive and interceptor drones became virtually useless. Both Musk and President Donald Trump have expressed anger at Ukraine for striking Russian diesel refineries in recent weeks—attacks the president has blamed for higher energy prices.

The decision reportedly triggered panic in Kiev and confusion within the Trump administration. Last week, Trump denied that US authorities or Musk had restricted Ukraine’s access to Starshield. On October 18, Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Ukraine had requested access to the Starshield communications system to conduct attacks on Russian territory and that, at the time, Kiev lacked that access.

According to the WSJ, sources said Musk and Trump discussed the Starlink decision by phone at least once shortly after reports of the disruptions became public, while the president was campaigning. One source claimed they also discussed the matter before the restrictions took effect. Some US officials maintain that Musk acted unilaterally and that Trump did not specifically order retribution against Ukraine. However, a person familiar with the situation said Musk spoke with multiple senior administration officials, including Trump, before imposing the new speed cap. Ukrainian officials said the restriction allowed Russian missiles to evade their defenses.

Hours after the slowdown became public, Musk posted on X: “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” Trump told reporters he did not know who was responsible for the Starlink slowdown, “but I would like to find out.” During the uproar, SpaceX representatives contacted White House counterparts seeking a unified message, saying the company and the administration had coordinated ahead of Musk’s directive. Zelensky’s public warnings—that Ukrainians could die if unrestricted service were not restored—prompted an informal investigation inside the White House.

On October 14, former Ukrainian defense adviser Serhiy Sternenko said Starlink satellite communication terminals had been limited in operation. According to him, the connection began to fail when equipment moved faster than 160 kilometers per hour.

Michael Kofman, an expert on the war at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the WSJ: “Ukrainian forces continue to be throttled in their ability to employ strike drones and interceptor drones to 160 kilometers [99 miles] per hour, but the current connection is below 130 kilometers per hour, and the limits continue to hamper Ukrainian strike operations and air defenses.”

Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington, Denys Sienik, said on October 20 that Kiev was still “waiting for the official response from contacts with the Pentagon and SpaceX at the leaders level to understand what has happened, but also to understand whether the connection has been restored or will be restored.”

The slowdown followed a series of statements by the Trump administration that Ukrainian officials viewed as hostile, including criticism of Zelensky from both Trump and Musk. This led Kiev to immediately suspect the order came from either the president or Musk.

On October 10, just days before the restrictions, Trump said he told Zelensky: “‘You can do whatever you want to Russia, but don’t hit the refineries because that’s a world problem.’ And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. He better damn well stop.” Musk responded to a White House video of those remarks on X: “Zelensky has gone too far.” Four days later, Ukrainian drone operators reported losing unrestricted access to the network.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on October 20 that “we haven’t pulled anything back,” but noted that “Starlink has the option to make decisions concerning its terms of service.” He added: “We haven’t made any directives or anything like that.”

Zelensky has also accused the administration of temporarily suspending intelligence support to track Russian missile launches. Trump and others, including Rubio, have denied the claim. Rubio acknowledged “there’s no doubt” about rising tensions between Washington and Kiev.

Musk has previously stated that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, with any limits set by the military and ultimately by the president. Nonetheless, the episode has highlighted Musk’s influence over the conflict, as Starlink remains a critical lifeline for Ukrainian forces on the front lines, both for attacking Russian positions and for defending against strikes. As shown, the billionaire can alter the course of the war.

Ukrainian authorities say the restrictions were imposed without warning, disrupting interceptor and mid-range strike operations, reconnaissance, logistics, and communications. As powerful Russian attacks continued, Ukrainian units scrambled to investigate the outages and activate backup systems, highlighting the devastating effects of Zelensky’s blowout with Trump on the country’s military operations.