Key facts
- According to the report, Musk talked with Trump and White House officials prior to the slowdown decision.
- Musk and Trump had criticized Ukraine over attacks on Russian diesel refineries before the service slowdown was decided.
- Ukrainian officials said the cap hit Starshield, the military satellite product built on Starlink technology.
- Government officials often use the names Starlink and Starshield interchangeably when discussing military use.
Ars Technica reported that The Wall Street Journal published a story saying Elon Musk directed the throttling of a military-grade Starlink service in Ukraine, citing unnamed officials. The report said the move sparked panic in Kyiv and confusion within the Trump administration. The Journal had reported that Musk made the final call.
Trump said he did not order the restrictions, and Musk also denied responsibility. Musk claimed that the U.S. military and President Trump handle all decisions about the military version of Starlink. The two denials deepened the confusion inside the Trump administration about who was responsible for the slowdown.
Musk imposed the cap without warning early Thursday, cutting the data connection when a terminal goes faster than 160 kph (100 mph), which is typical for Ukrainian drones using Starshield. The report said Musk capped the data speeds for Ukrainian hardware on the satellite network, rendering some offensive and interceptor drones almost ineffective. In this context, speed refers to how fast the drones fly, not data transfer speed. The speed limit forced drones to fly more slowly, which made them easier targets for Russian weapons, according to the Associated Press, which reported on the development last week.
Ukrainian officials said the restrictions affected Starshield, the military satellite product built on Starlink technology, and expressed objection to the new limits. Kyiv’s protest focuses on the Starshield limits, not the commercial Starlink service. Ukrainian military forces have relied on both the commercial Starlink service and the military Starshield variant, which SpaceX provides. When discussing military use, government officials frequently treat Starlink and Starshield as interchangeable names.
Before the decision on the service slowdown, Musk and Trump had publicly criticized Ukraine for attacks on Russian diesel refineries. The report said, citing an unnamed source, that Musk spoke with Trump and White House officials before imposing the slowdown.
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