Musk Throttles Ukraine’s Starlink, Crippling Drones; Trump Denies
US officials briefed on the matter told the newspaper that Musk capped speeds on the satellite internet service Ukraine uses, leaving some of its military drones all but useless.
Anger at Ukraine’s strikes on Russian diesel refineries in recent weeks has united Musk and Trump. The president blames those attacks for high oil prices. According to the report’s sources, the two discussed the Starlink decision before and after the slowdown became public last week, but the president has denied ordering it.
Hours after the slowdown surfaced, Musk posted on X that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” the acronym for president of the United States. Trump told reporters Monday he did not know who was responsible for the slowdown, adding, “but I would like to find out.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that “we haven’t pulled anything back,” but “Starlink has the option to make decisions concerning its terms of service.”
“We haven’t made any directives or anything like that,” Hegseth added.
After the cap took effect, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that “Ukrainians could die if the unrestrictive service wasn’t restored.”
Some US officials told the newspaper that “Musk acted unilaterally and that Trump didn’t specifically order any retribution against Ukraine.” Another person familiar with the situation offered a different account, saying Musk “talked to multiple senior administration officials, including with Trump, before imposing the new speed cap,” a limit Ukrainian officials said let Russian missiles slip past their defenses.
The slowdown began Oct. 14, on the heels of several Trump administration announcements and statements that Ukrainian officials viewed as hostile, including criticism of Zelensky from both Trump and Musk. Kyiv immediately suspected the order came from either the president or Musk, according to the report.
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