WASHINGTON: Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service used by Ukraine, disrupting the country’s military drone operations, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.
The restrictions hampered Ukrainian attack and air defence drone missions against Russia, according to the report. Kyiv relies heavily on satellite communications for battlefield coordination and military operations.
The development came amid strained relations between Washington and Kyiv, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel and his criticism of Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.
Musk had earlier addressed the restrictions on X, saying that decisions about the military-grade Starshield service were ultimately controlled by the US government.
“Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately [the president of the United States],” Musk said, according to the statement quoted in the original report.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk and Trump discussed the Starlink restrictions both before and after the slowdown became public.
However, accounts of Trump’s involvement differed. Some US officials believed Musk had acted independently and that Trump had not explicitly ordered retaliation against Ukraine, the newspaper reported.
Reuters reported that Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the newspaper’s findings. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.
