Elon Musk said on Wednesday that the US government, not SpaceX, controls speed restrictions imposed on Ukraine's weapons systems that rely on Starlink internet connectivity. The restrictions came after Ukraine lost access to faster connections on Tuesday night when Starlink capped drone speeds at 100mph, disrupting battlefield operations during Russian attacks that killed civilians across multiple Ukrainian regions.
Musk stated on X that Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, is "owned and controlled by the US government" and that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." He distinguished Starlink as a civilian service designed for defensive activities only, saying SpaceX cannot use it for offensive military action "as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company."
Ukraine's officials disputed this timing. Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on Telegram that "it is clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation." Zelensky himself told UK media: "I hope that it's a mistake, maybe a huge technical problem."
The speed restrictions coincide with escalating tensions between Kyiv and Washington. US President Donald Trump has grown frustrated with Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy facilities. Zelensky said the US threatened to restrict intelligence sharing if he did not agree to Trump's energy ceasefire, though Trump denied this on Tuesday.
The restrictions were partially restored by Wednesday evening, according to Ukraine's former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. He appealed to Musk on X to remove speed limits entirely, saying this is "now critical for Ukraine's defense."
Musk has previously suggested Ukraine needs new leadership. On Wednesday he wrote: "And so the slaughter continues. Time for Zelensky to go." He made similar comments earlier in the week.
Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least two people in the Dnipropetrovsk region on Thursday morning and left about 600,000 people without electricity. Zelensky described the attacks as "one of the largest" from Russia, noting that while Ukrainian forces shot down many drones, some hit communications and energy facilities used by the military.