Elon Musk restricted Ukraine’s Starlink access without White House approval: Report

WASHINGTON, DC: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk decided to limit Ukraine’s access to a military variant of Starlink satellite internet last week without first seeking permission from the White House, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The decision impacts Starshield, a project that allows Ukraine to use offensive and defensive drones to counter Russian attacks. American authorities told the WSJ that Musk personally ordered the restriction on October 14, while an unnamed administration official involved in the crisis response said the billionaire had consulted with his senior advisers and President Donald Trump before implementing the restrictions.

Starshield restrictions reportedly disrupted Ukrainian drone operations

The Starshield defense system, a military communications network, is playing an important role in the Ukrainian drone warfare effort.

According to reports, planes traveling at speeds of more than 100 mph were unable to access the network, hampering efforts to launch and defend against drone attacks.

Ukrainian President Zelensky accused the United States and SpaceX of being responsible for last week’s blackout, which occurred as Russia launched a drone assault on Ukrainian energy plants in violation of a Russia-Ukraine energy cease-fire that took effect October 11.

Musk denied having limited access in an Oct. 14 post on X that stated, “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”

“Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company,” Musk said.

Trump administration denies deliberately cutting Ukraine’s access

Trump, who has increasingly criticized Zelensky for being unwilling to engage in peace talks, and other administration officials vehemently denied US interference.

“I didn’t do that. No, we didn’t do that at all. In fact, I don’t even think it was slowed down from what I understood. Because I just checked this morning,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House Friday for a campaign trip to Georgia. “I don’t know if it was anybody, because it wasn’t me and I don’t think it was Elon.”

An administration official told The Post last Thursday, however, that “this was Pentagon freelancing and it’s not the first time it has happened with Ukraine,” denying direct White House involvement.

“The message came from government,” Zelensky insisted. “I don’t know from whom, what cabinet, and et cetera.”

“It was a message from American government to limit the speed. And technically, SpaceX did it,” he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also denied that there had been a lapse in Starlink services or intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

“Our understanding is that to the extent that happened on the 13th and on the 18th, it was a technical matter,” he added of the Starlink interruption. “It was not the result of any sort of US directive not to provide advance warning of a strike, and we are providing the same warnings to them now that we always have.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appointed SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Anduril Industries co-founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to Project Meridian last month, where they are looking at technologies related to future warfare.