Starlink Slowdown: Musk Reportedly Gave the Order Himself
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First he pointed at Mr. Trump, now everything points at him: Elon Musk personally ordered the slowdown of Starlink connections used by Ukraine’s military, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter, as Reuters reported. The restriction severely hampered Ukrainian drone strikes and air defenses against Russia last week.
What The Wall Street Journal Reported
According to The Journal, the order concerned Starshield, the military version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on. Mr. Musk and President Trump reportedly spoke before the decision to throttle the service and again in a phone call shortly after it became public. Mr. Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Reuters could not independently verify the report.
The slowdown began overnight into last Wednesday. Without warning, the terminals in fast-moving vehicles and drones worked only to a limited extent, as we reported earlier. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the limit for some systems dropped to about 70 kilometers per hour. That left Ukraine unable to intercept jet-powered Russian Shahed drones, and drone supply runs to troops at the front were also affected. Mr. Zelensky called it a “planned operation.”
Musk Shifted the Blame to Trump
The report contradicts what Mr. Musk has said publicly. Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government, he wrote on X, and restrictions are decided by the U.S. military and “ultimately” the president. He did not mention his own role, but he also posted that it was time for Mr. Zelensky to go.
Mr. Trump denied any involvement, saying he did not think that he or Mr. Musk was responsible. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said no one in the U.S. government had ordered a slowdown. Last week, however, Reuters reported, citing Western officials, that the order had come from within the White House.
Telegraph: ‘They Were Both in It’
The British newspaper The Telegraph had previously reported, citing four sources, that Mr. Musk proposed the slowdown to Mr. Trump and that the president agreed, as summarized by The Kyiv Independent. “They were both in it,” the paper quoted one source as saying. Mr. Musk was also reportedly concerned about negative reactions from customers in Europe. The White House rejected the report as false.
The slowdown comes at a time of strained relations between Washington and Kyiv. Mr. Trump had previously eased sanctions on Russian diesel, told Ukraine to stop attacking Russian refineries and urged that Mr. Zelensky be replaced. According to Mr. Zelensky, the connection is now faster again but not yet back to its previous level.
The report comes at a bad time for Mr. Musk. Just on Tuesday, SpaceX posted strong quarterly results and raised the prospect of a merger with Tesla. With $5.2 billion in quarterly revenue, Starlink is one of the company’s most important businesses.
