Musk Says White House, Not SpaceX, Controls Starlink Speed Limits in Ukraine
Elon Musk denied Ukraine's claim that SpaceX choked Starlink internet speeds ahead of a massive Russian attack on Oct. 14, saying military Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that limits are decided by the military and the president.
Elon Musk on Wednesday denied Ukraine’s accusation that his company SpaceX throttled Starlink internet speeds ahead of a massive Russian attack, saying the military satellite systems in question are owned and controlled by the U.S. government.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk said in a statement. Starshield is Starlink’s special program for military defense coordination.
Ukrainian officials had accused SpaceX of restricting satellite internet speeds without warning, leaving the country exposed during what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called one of the largest attacks of the war. “In terms of scale, this is one of the largest attacks,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Oct. 14. “It is clear that the Russians are trying to take advantage of the problems with Starlink in Ukraine, as our interceptor drones depend on this connection among other things.”
Zelenskyy’s top adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said Ukraine’s forces received no warning of the restriction. “Our defense forces received no warning about this restriction, and it led to the disruption of a number of missions,” he said.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia launched “wave after wave of drone attacks throughout the day and night” on Oct. 14, sending hundreds of drones against energy infrastructure, logistics and railways. He said Ukrainian forces shot down many of them, but some got through.
The dispute follows the Trump-Putin diesel deal
The clash over Starlink comes days after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a deal to bring Russian diesel fuel to the United States. Critics, including some Republicans, have said the deal boosts Putin’s war effort with little benefit for Americans at the pump.
Trump has also lashed out at Zelenskyy, calling him a “dictator without elections” while declining to apply the word to Putin. Zelenskyy called the diesel deal with Putin a “betrayal.”
USA Today said it had reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment.
Reporting based on coverage by USA Today.
