WSJ: Musk Ordered Speed Limit on Starshield for Ukraine

Elon Musk, the businessman who heads SpaceX, operator of the Starlink satellite internet system, ordered limits on the military version of the network, Starshield, for Ukraine's use. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this on Tuesday, citing anonymous US officials. The move matters because the system is important for Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion.

What the WSJ reports

According to the newspaper, Musk set a maximum speed at which Ukrainian equipment can connect to the system. As a result, some of Kyiv's drones became unusable. Ukraine's Armed Forces had faced problems with Starshield for several days last week.

Ukraine uses the system for battlefield communications, medium-range strikes on Russian-occupied territory and its interceptor drones. It also uses the civilian Starlink network.

US officials deny involvement

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted on Tuesday that the Pentagon had issued no instructions to change how Starshield works. "We haven't cut anything. From our point of view nothing has changed," he said.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had not requested any restrictions. "It wasn't me. And I don't think it was Elon," Trump said.

Musk, for his part, said last week that any limits on the speed or use of Starshield are decided by the US military and, ultimately, the US president.

Tensions between the US and Ukraine

Shortly before the problems began, Trump criticized Ukraine and urged it to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries. Tension between the two countries has grown in recent days: Trump called for replacing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Zelensky criticized a US deal to let Russian diesel fuel into global markets.