Musk Accused of Slowing Starlink Connections Used by Ukraine's Drones

Elon Musk, the American businessman who owns the Starlink satellite internet network and the space company SpaceX, ordered a slowdown of the military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine's armed forces rely on this month, according to The Wall Street Journal. The paper cited US officials and people familiar with the matter. The move reportedly caused panic in Kyiv and confusion inside the administration of US President Donald Trump. It matters because Starlink is important to Ukrainian communications and drone operations in the war against Russia.

What the newspaper reports

According to the Journal, the speeds at which Ukrainian equipment could stay connected to the satellite network were reduced, leaving some offensive and interceptor drones virtually useless. The paper says Musk and Trump have both expressed anger at Ukraine for striking Russian diesel refineries in recent weeks, which Trump blames for high energy prices. The two reportedly discussed the decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public.

Over the weekend, Musk wrote on X that Ukraine's military had violated Starlink's terms of service and used the network for offensive drone strikes that kill people.

Reich's view

In an opinion column for The Guardian, Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor and professor emeritus of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, argues that no private individual should be able to shape US foreign policy. He calls for ending government contracts with Musk and, if Starlink has become too central to military strategy, nationalizing it. Reich says Musk has put roughly $445m into the 2026 midterm election cycle to help Republicans keep control of Congress. Responding to the nationalization idea, Musk posted that stealing companies is a serious crime.