Report: Musk ordered Starlink to be scaled back in Ukraine
According to US sources, SpaceX restricted Ukraine’s military Starlink connections last week.
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
Elon Musk is said to have ordered a military version of Starlink in Ukraine to be scaled back last week. The Wall Street Journal reports this, citing US officials and other people familiar with the matter; Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.
Ukraine uses Starlink for communications at the front and for drone operations. According to the report cited by Reuters, the connection speeds of Ukrainian equipment were restricted. As a result, some attack and interception drones are said to have been temporarily less useful.
The report comes at a sensitive moment in relations between Kyiv and Washington. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken again in recent days about restrictions on US support and the operation of warning systems against Russian missile attacks. Starlink is also used as part of Ukraine’s military communications infrastructure.
The precise decision-making remains unclear. Reuters previously reported that the order to restrict the satellite system may have come from the White House. The new report by The Wall Street Journal instead says that Musk himself ordered the throttling. Reuters was unable to independently confirm that version.
According to Reuters, Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to questions about the report. The White House also did not immediately comment. Both Musk and President Donald Trump have previously denied responsibility for Ukraine’s loss of Starlink access. According to Reuters, Musk said that the US military or the president had decided on the restrictions.
The issue therefore goes beyond the question of how a single satellite service is technically managed. It also touches on armed forces’ dependence on commercial technology companies. SpaceX provides a service that is of major military importance in practice, raising questions about who ultimately decides on military access and what conditions apply.
SpaceX did report quarterly figures on Tuesday. According to Associated Press, the company recorded a profit of 4.4 billion dollars and revenue of 14.6 billion dollars in the three months to the end of September. That business information does not explain why Starlink connections in Ukraine may have been restricted.
For now, it is therefore established that Ukraine experienced restrictions on military Starlink services and that different explanations are circulating. It has not been established exactly who took the decision, what technical limits applied or how long the effects lasted.
Also show where in Europe and in the world
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Ukraine uses Starlink for military communications and drone operations.
- Reuters reported a discrepancy between earlier reporting about an order from the White House and a new report that Musk may have given the order.
- The parties involved have not publicly confirmed the specific sequence of events.
Left
Arguments A commercial service provider should not be allowed to exert unilateral influence over military operations without democratic oversight. The issue argues for public safeguards and less dependence on private infrastructure.
Values Democratic accountability, public oversight and protecting a country under attack.
Consequences More regulation and alternative systems may entail costs and delays, but reduce the vulnerability of Ukraine and other users.
Centre
Arguments Satellite capacity is strategic and cannot be entirely separated from national security. At the same time, contracts, powers and emergency procedures should be set out more clearly.
Values Continuity, legal certainty and cooperation between government and business.
Consequences A more transparent framework of agreements can keep the service reliable without fully nationalising commercial innovation.
Right
Arguments A private company and the US state should be able to decide for themselves the conditions under which military technology is supplied. Allies must not assume that commercial support is unlimited or politically neutral.
Values National sovereignty, property rights and restraint regarding foreign commitments.
Consequences Ukraine and European countries will have to invest more themselves in communications systems and rely less on a single American entrepreneur.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core claim is carefully attributed to Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. The uncertainty over who took the decision and the extent of the restriction is explicitly stated.
- confirmed The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered a military version of Starlink to be scaled back last week. — Reuters reported this based on US officials and people familiar with the matter. source
- confirmed Reuters was unable to independently verify the report. — This is stated explicitly in Reuters’ account. source
- confirmed Ukraine uses Starlink for communications and drone operations. — Reuters and Deutsche Welle describe this use. source
- confirmed Musk and Trump previously denied responsibility for the loss of access. — Reuters cites these earlier statements. source
- confirmed SpaceX recorded a profit of 4.4 billion dollars and revenue of 14.6 billion dollars in the quarter to the end of September. — Associated Press gives these quarterly figures. source
Editor's note
The reported order is based on reporting by The Wall Street Journal, as relayed by Reuters. The parties involved have not confirmed the account and precise responsibility remains uncertain.Sources
- Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink service used by Ukraine’s military, WSJ reports — Reuters via Internazionale
- Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of Starlink in Ukraine — report — Deutsche Welle
- Elon Musk's SpaceX reports a profit and he hints at a possible merger with Tesla — Associated Press
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „starlink oekraïne”
- Het Parool — „starlink oekraïne”
- NRC — „starlink oekraïne”