{
  "id": 15812697,
  "title": "Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink service Ukraine military relies on, report says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/musk-ordered-slowdown-of-starlink-service-ukraine-military-relies-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T22:49:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371563/musk-ordered-slowdown-starlink-service-ukraine-military-relies-report-says"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nUkraine 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.\n\nAccording 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 US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Tuesday that Washington had not withdrawn Ukraine's ability to access Starlink's satellite network, but suggested the issue lies with the terms of service Kyiv must adhere to.",
  "summary": "Elon Musk last week ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service that Ukraine relies on, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter. Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Ukraine uses Starlink for…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Musk ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine: WSJ",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/musk-ordered-starlink-slowdown-in-ukraine-wsj",
        "published": "2026-10-20T20:42:36.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV",
        "title": "Elon Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown In Ukraine: Report",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/elon-musk-ordered-starlink-slowdown-in-ukraine-report",
        "published": "2026-10-20T21:25:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Elon Musk ordered the Starlink restrictions that disabled Ukrainian drones, defenses - report",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/elon-musk-ordered-the-starlink-restrictions-that-disabled-ukrainian",
        "published": "2026-10-20T22:18:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Meduza (English)",
        "title": "Did Trump know Musk was about to restrict Ukraine’s military Starlink service? WSJ reports they discussed the decision afterward. Some sources say they also spoke beforehand.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/did-trump-know-musk-was-about-to-restrict-ukraines-military-starlink",
        "published": "2026-10-20T22:59:38.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Times",
        "title": "Musk gave the order to slow down Ukraine’s Starlink, WSJ reports",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/musk-gave-the-order-to-slow-down-ukraines-starlink-wsj-reports",
        "published": "2026-10-20T23:51:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink service used by Ukraine's military, WSJ reports",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/musk-ordered-slowdown-of-starlink-service-used-by-ukraines-military",
        "published": "2026-10-21T00:37:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}