Elon Musk admits to restricting Starlink speeds used by Ukrainian military

Elon Musk admitted on Saturday that he gave the order for his company SpaceX to restrict the speed of the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine. The move disrupted Ukrainian military operations during its war with Russia for more than a week. This incident highlights the influence a single private individual can exert over critical infrastructure used in active conflict.

Disruption of front-line operations

According to the Morning Star, the speed restrictions impacted front-line logistics and the defence against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on social media that access to both Starlink and the Starshield satellite links has since been restored. Zelensky said the restoration began overnight and speeds were sufficient by Saturday morning.

The Ukrainian Defence Minister, Jewhenij Chmara, stated that monitoring systems recorded a recovery in Starlink speeds and that the connection is now stable, according to Tagesschau. This follows days of complaints from Kyiv regarding the throttling of both the civilian Starlink service and the military-grade Starshield variant.

Musk defends the restrictions

Musk defended his actions in a post on the social media platform X, claiming that the Ukrainian military violated Starlink's terms of service. He stated that using a "civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be." Musk added that the "loophole was closed last week."

According to Tagesschau, Musk described the terms of service as being designed for a civilian system rather than a "means to kill." Despite the restrictions, Musk described Starlink as "crucial for the defence of Ukraine," claiming it is the only system that is currently neither disrupted nor destroyed. He warned that if Starlink were shut down, the Ukrainian front line would "immediately collapse," according to Tagesschau.

Questions of US involvement

The episode has raised questions regarding whether the US government coordinated these decisions. While the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered the restrictions on Starshield, Musk maintained that all changes to the Starshield system are decided by the US military and ultimately by the President.

The situation emerges amidst strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. The Morning Star reports that tensions have been exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s reported deal with Moscow regarding Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.

While US Vice-President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, other officials have denied involvement. According to the Morning Star, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have both denied any administration involvement. President Trump has also denied any involvement in restricting Starlink, though he told Tagesschau that he would speak with Musk should Kyiv continue to face problems with the service.

In our assessment, the ability of a single private actor to unilaterally throttle the communications of a sovereign state during wartime represents a dangerous precedent. When critical military infrastructure is controlled by a private individual, democratic oversight is bypassed, allowing personal or corporate interests to influence the course of a conflict.

This piece was generated automatically by an AI model from the sources listed below. It has not been reviewed by a human editor.

Sources

• Elon Musk admits to restricting Ukraine’s use of Starlink — Morning Star
• Musk wirft Ukraine Verstoß bei Starlink-Nutzung vor — Tagesschau