{
  "id": 14892099,
  "title": "Russia-Ukraine war: When Elon Musk shutdown Starlink in 2022, drones went dark — how much power does SpaceX boss hold?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/russia-ukraine-war-when-elon-musk-shutdown-starlink-in-2022-drones",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T06:44:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Mint",
    "slug": "live-mint",
    "url": "https://www.livemint.com/news/world/russiaukraine-war-when-elon-musk-shutdown-starlink-in-2022-drones-went-dark-how-much-power-does-spacex-boss-hold-11792130250104.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2022, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, reportedly shut down Starlink services in Ukraine, causing significant disruptions to the country's military operations. Ukrainian officials claimed that this interference led to civilian deaths and limited the effectiveness of Ukrainian interceptors in countering Russian drones. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later clarified the difference between Starlink and Starshield services, but the controversy over who controlled access to the technology persisted. Ukraine had previously experienced disruptions to its Starlink system during the conflict, including a notable incident in September 2022 when Musk allegedly ordered the shutdown of Starlink coverage in key areas, including Kherson and Donetsk province. The subsequent communication blackout severely impacted Ukrainian troops, who relied on the technology for battlefield connectivity and artillery targeting. Despite SpaceX's claims of full commitment to providing service to Ukraine, doubts remain about the extent of its control and the motivations behind these shutdowns.",
  "summary": "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently claimed that Kyiv's restricted access to Starlink led to civilian deaths because Ukrainian interceptors using the technology could no longer knock down Russian drones as effectively.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Musk donates over $150 million to Senate GOP group, assisting Paxton",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/musk-donates-over-150-million-to-senate-gop-group-assisting-paxton",
        "published": "2026-10-16T01:22:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Live Mint",
        "title": "Elon Musk agrees to settle class action over predetermining winners of $1 million daily 2024 election lottery",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/elon-musk-agrees-to-settle-class-action-over-predetermining-winners",
        "published": "2026-10-16T01:30:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Seeking Alpha News",
        "title": "Elon Musk drives record $273M Q3 haul for GOP Senate PAC",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/elon-musk-drives-record-273m-q3-haul-for-gop-senate-pac",
        "published": "2026-10-16T04:15:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu",
        "title": "Reliance responds to Elon Musk’s allegations, says it welcomes competition",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/reliance-responds-to-elon-musks-allegations-says-it-welcomes",
        "published": "2026-10-16T05:15:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "'Well, it worked': Elon Musk unveils new Tesla Roadster that can fly",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/well-it-worked-elon-musk-unveils-new-tesla-roadster-that-can-fly",
        "published": "2026-10-16T06:25:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}