Musk ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine: WSJ
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of Starshield, the military version of Starlink internet, which Ukraine said hampered its ability to respond to Russian attacks, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter. The disruption impacted Ukraine’s drones, airplanes and helicopters, a source familiar with the...
Elon Musk reportedly halted the speed of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service that Ukraine heavily relies on, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday. The details were obtained from US officials and people familiar with the situation. Neither Musk's SpaceX nor the White House provided immediate comments on the matter. The Reuters news agency remains unable to independently confirm the report.
Ukraine utilizes Starlink for critical battlefield communications and drone operations. The throttling of the satellite service has significantly impeded Ukraine's attack and air defense drone missions against Russia. Musk and former US President Donald Trump engaged in a call following the revelation of the service slowdown, while Trump was campaigning at the time, as per the report. The two are said to have also discussed the issue beforehand.
According to Reuters, the decision to restrict Starlink access originated from within the White House. Trump affirmed during a call with Musk last week that neither he nor Musk were responsible for Ukraine's loss of Starlink access. Musk posited that the decision to limit speed or Starlink usage ultimately rests with the US military or the president.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's rapport with Washington has reached a new low following Trump's announcement of a deal to purchase Russian diesel fuel and waiver of new sanctions on Moscow. Trump has furthermore instructed Kyiv to cease attacking Russian refineries and encouraged Ukrainians to replace Zelensky. Zelensky, currently in Oslo attempting to mend US relations, mentioned on Tuesday that he discussed matters including "the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which must be restored" with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Tuesday that Washington had not withdrawn Ukraine's ability to access Starlink's satellite network, but suggested the issue lies with the terms of service Kyiv must adhere to.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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