Ukraine War | Reports: Musk ordered Starlink throttled for Ukraine

Elon Musk (left) is said to have consulted with US President Donald Trump about restricting Starlink access for Ukraine. Musk is then said to have ordered the throttling. Photo: dpa/AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson The founder of the US space company Space X, Elon Musk, is said to be behind the throttling of the Starlink satellite internet for Ukraine, according to media reports. This is reported by the Wall Street Journal and CBS News, citing people supposedly familiar with the matter. The White House and Musk had previously rejected allegations of targeted functional restrictions.

Musk had several conversations with government officials leading up to the decision, CBS News reported. He therefore wanted to gain clarity about where President Donald Trump stands on this matter. According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk and Trump spoke to each other directly after the throttling. The Starlink satellite service belongs to the Space X company, owned by Musk.

For around a week there have been reports from Ukraine about problems with the use of Starlink satellite internet. Accordingly, flying objects lost their connection if they moved faster than 160 kilometers per hour - sometimes even less quickly. President Volodymyr Zelensky complained that this would hinder Ukrainian drones in defending themselves against Russian jet drones as well as in their own medium-range attacks. dpa/nd

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