WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of SpaceX’s military satellite service used by Ukraine, according to people familiar with the decision. The reported restriction disrupted Ukrainian attack and air-defense drone missions last week, while conflicting accounts have left unclear who authorized the change.
The system at issue is Starshield, a U.S. government-controlled service built on SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network. Ukrainian officials said terminals mounted on fast-moving equipment lost their connection above 100 mph. A Ukrainian military unit also reported brief signal drops at lower speeds, making drones harder to control and forcing some missions to stop.
The order’s origin remains disputed. Earlier, U.S. officials said the instruction to restrict Starshield came from inside the White House; a senior official denied that Trump had requested it. The latest account says Musk and Trump discussed the decision before the slowdown and spoke again after it became public. Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately comment on that account, which has not been independently verified.
The disruption reached beyond drone control. A Ukrainian artilleryman identified by the callsign Ukrlan said his unit’s internet slowed and its communications with headquarters deteriorated. Ukrainian forces use satellite connections to coordinate battlefield operations, control drones and share information about targets and incoming threats.
Musk has said the U.S. military and president control limits on Starshield. He distinguishes it from Starlink, SpaceX’s commercial internet service, which he says is limited to civilian or defensive use. The two services are separate, but Starshield relies on Starlink’s satellite network.
U.S. officials have denied deliberately cutting Ukraine’s military support. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington had not withdrawn Ukraine’s access to Starlink. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was no political directive to harm Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Tuesday he had discussed Starlink and Starshield with Rubio as Kyiv seeks to resolve the remaining service restrictions.
The dispute comes as President Donald Trump presses Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries and seek a settlement with Moscow. For Kyiv, the episode has exposed the risks of depending on a communications system controlled by a private company and subject to U.S. government decisions.
