Ukraine accuses Elon Musk’s SpaceX of throttling Starlink terminals

Ukrainian officials have accused SpaceX of limiting Starlink satellite services, rendering them unable to carry out military operations and leaving Kyiv exposed to potential attacks. An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that without warning, services had been curtailed for terminals travelling over 100mph overnight on Wednesday, effectively impeding Ukraine's capacity to deploy drones, which rely on satellite internet for guidance.

In a Telegram post, defence technology adviser Serhii Beskrestnov stated that Ukraine was "stripped of one of the few means to defend itself from Shahed drones." He further noted that frontline logistics and long-distance missions had also been adversely affected. The allegation that Elon Musk's company had throttled Starlink services drew criticism from Poland, which subsidizes Ukrainian Starlink subscriptions.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed outrage, questioning Musk's motives and accusing him of engaging in political manipulation with his products. This exchange is reminiscent of a previous social media altercation in 2025, where Musk had taunted Sikorski on X, telling him to "be quiet, small man." The conflict arose when Musk, a billionaire former Trump adviser and major donor to his Republican Party, had threatened to shut down Starlink if Ukraine's frontline "collapsed."