Musk says any limits on Ukraine's Starlink access are down to the US, not his firm
Elon Musk has said speed limits affecting Ukrainian weapons that rely on the Starlink network are set by the US military and president. Ukraine said the unexpected restrictions were disrupting its battlefield missions.
Elon Musk, the owner of space company SpaceX, has said the US government is responsible for speed restrictions that cut some Ukrainian weapons off from the Starlink satellite internet network. Ukraine said on Tuesday night that unexpected new speed limits were disrupting its battlefield missions. The issue matters because Kyiv uses Starlink to guide drones to Russian targets and to protect its own airspace.
The restrictions and Musk's explanation
On Tuesday night Starlink capped speeds at 100mph (160km/h), so any weapon travelling faster lost its connection. By Wednesday evening service had been partially restored, according to Ukraine's former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. He wrote on X that removing the Starshield speed limit entirely was now critical for Ukraine's defence.
Musk replied that Starshield, the military-grade sister service to Starlink, is owned and controlled by the US government. In his words, any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the US president. He added that Starlink is meant for civilian or defensive activities, not offensive military action. The US government has not commented.
Starlink is a civilian service that uses low Earth orbit satellites to provide internet access, especially in remote areas, while Starshield is designed for government and military use.
Political backdrop
The restrictions came as Russia launched deadly attacks on Ukraine that killed several people in Kyiv and hit communications and energy facilities. President Volodymyr Zelensky called it one of the largest attacks from Russia. At least 600,000 people across Ukraine lost electricity.
Zelensky's adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote that the timing could not be a coincidence and was linked to the current political situation. US President Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy facilities. Zelensky has said the US threatened to limit intelligence sharing, which Trump denied.
Zelensky visited London, where he met UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and King Charles. The UK said it would speed up deliveries of lightweight multirole missiles to Ukraine.
