Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine
The Wall Street Journal reports Elon Musk ordered a Starlink slowdown for Ukraine, crippling drone missions and sparking panic in Kyiv and US confusion.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Elon Musk last week ordered a slowdown of the military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine's forces rely on, a decision that blindsided Kyiv and sparked confusion inside the Trump administration. The report, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter, says the throttling hampered Ukraine's attack and air defense drone missions against Russia.
What the WSJ report found
According to the Journal, the slowdown hit on October 14, when Musk capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the satellite network. The restriction targeted Starshield, the military version of Starlink used by Ukraine, rather than the commercial service. The move reportedly came amid anger from both Musk and President Trump over Ukrainian attacks on Russian diesel refineries in recent weeks, which Trump blames for high energy prices. Reuters noted that Trump had just lifted sanctions on Russian diesel to ease pressure on fuel prices and had told Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries. Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the Journal's report.
How the slowdown hit Ukraine's drones
The throttling had an immediate battlefield effect. The Journal reported that the speed caps rendered some offensive drones and interceptor drones virtually useless, while Reuters said the restriction hampered Ukraine's attack and air defense drone missions against Russia. In Kyiv, the sudden degradation sparked panic. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's public complaints - warning that Ukrainians could die if unrestricted service was not restored - led to widespread confusion over who actually ordered the slowdown, and prompted an informal investigation inside the White House.
Trump says he knew nothing
President Trump has distanced himself from the decision. He told reporters on Monday that he did not know who was responsible for the Starlink slowdown, adding "but I would like to find out." Days earlier, on Friday, Trump said he did not think either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access in a way that affected its military operations. Musk himself posted on X hours after the slowdown became public: "Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," referring to the president of the United States. But the Journal reported that Musk and Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a phone call soon after the slowdown became public, while Trump was campaigning last week - and that the two also discussed the matter before the decision to throttle. During the uproar, SpaceX representatives called their White House counterparts seeking a unified understanding and a subsequent message that the company and the Trump administration had coordinated ahead of Musk's directive, the Journal reported.
Why it matters
The episode has pushed US-Ukraine tensions to their highest level in months and put Musk's singular power over the conflict back in the spotlight. With a single switch, the SpaceX founder can shape the communications and drone operations of an entire war - a level of influence that has repeatedly drawn scrutiny from Washington.
Sources
Wall Street Journal - https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-starlink-elon-musk-trump-dbc49193 Reuters - https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/musk-ordered-starlink-slowdown-that-blindsided-ukraine-wsj-reports-2026-10-20/