Musk Says US Government is Controlling Starshield Services Amid Reported Disruptions in Ukraine

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk deferred blame over reports that the company’s military-oriented Starshield satellite internet service was curbed in Ukraine, saying any limits on the service would have been imposed by the U.S. military rather than by his company.

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” Musk wrote on X on Oct. 14. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”

Ukrainian officials on Oct. 14 began raising the alarm that their military’s Starshield services were stymied overnight, leaving gaps in their defenses as they contended with a significant Russian missile and drone barrage. According to Ukrainian officials, about 600,000 Ukrainians were left without power after Russian forces struck energy infrastructure across the country in their overnight strikes.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a military adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Starshield services were restricted on connected devices moving more than 100 mph. Beskrestnov said the speed limits came into effect without any prior warning to Ukrainian military users, upending military missions.

In an interview with Piers Morgan on Oct. 14, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces have used Starshield-enabled systems to intercept jet-powered Russian attack drones. Zelenskyy said the abrupt implementation of new limits on Starshield service meant those interceptor systems didn’t work during the latest overnight attacks.

The alleged Starshield disruptions have come at a moment of heightened tensions between President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian leader.

Last week, Trump announced that Russia would soon begin supplying diesel to the United States in a move aimed at stabilizing fuel prices as U.S. and Iranian forces continue to vie for control over oil and gas flows out of the Middle East.

Alongside the new diesel deal with Russia, Trump has pushed for the implementation of a so-called energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, calling on either side to refrain from strikes targeting the other’s energy assets. Despite Trump’s efforts to broker this energy ceasefire, Russia and Ukraine have continued targeting each other’s energy sectors.

Over the weekend, Trump accused Zelenskyy of failing to take viable off-ramps to end the Russia–Ukraine war and said Ukraine should choose a new president. Under Ukraine’s constitution, regular elections are postponed during periods of martial law, a condition Ukraine has maintained since Russian troops entered the country in force in February 2022.

During their interview on Oct. 14, Morgan said that Musk had also endorsed calls for new elections in Ukraine and asked Zelenskyy whether he believed that the recent disruptions to Ukraine’s Starshield services were part of a deliberate move to undermine him.

“I’m sure that they knew what they did. Absolutely,” Zelenskyy answered.

The Pentagon did not respond by publication time to a request for comment about the alleged Starshield curbs in Ukraine.

As Musk deferred questions about the Starshield service curbs to the U.S. government, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that Starshield services had been restored for some Ukrainian military systems.

“Removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense,” Fedorov wrote on X.