Elon Musk's Starlink slowdown 'throttled' Ukraine's ability to employ drone strikes with a flip of the switch, report says

Elon Musk was responsible for slowing down Ukraine's access to the vital Starlink satellite communications system, leaving the country exposed to attack virtually by flipping a switch.The tech billionaire and SpaceX founder has publicly blamed Donald Trump for the chaos over the decision to restrict Kyiv's access to the satellite system, which has since been restored. However, multiple US officials told The Wall Street Journal and CBS News that Musk made the call.Musk's move limited the speed at which Kyiv's hardware could remain connected to his satellite network.That made some of the Ukrainian military's drones and interceptor drones unable to operate. Michael Kofman, an expert on the war from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that 'Ukrainian forces continue to be throttled in their ability to employ strike drones and interceptor drones.'One person familiar with the matter said Musk and Trump spoke about the decision before Musk went through with it and even more have suggested he talked about it in several conversations with administration officials, wanting to understand the President's thinking on the situation. Two others said that the President and the SpaceX CEO had a call regarding the slowdown after it became public and have said that Trump had no input on the decision, with Musk acting alone. Elon Musk was responsible for slowing down Ukraine's access to the vital Starlink satellite communications system, leaving the country exposed to attack Musk's move limited the speed at which Kyiv's hardware could remain connected to his satellite network at a time when both he and Trump have been critical of Ukraine's President Volodymyr ZelenskyMusk's decision may come from a reticence to be seen as profiting off of the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine is 'waiting for the official response from contacts with the Pentagon and SpaceX at the leaders level to understand what has happened, but also to understand whether the connection has been restored or will be restored,' the nation's top diplomat in Washington said Tuesday.The Daily Mail has reached out to both the White House and SpaceX for comment. Musk said on X last week that any changes to the system would have had to have been approved by the Pentagon and therefore the US president.Trump has denied ordering a reduction in speeds on Starshield after Musk - whose company SpaceX developed it - said that. Trump, who last week called on Zelensky to resign, also criticized Zelensky for not accepting the terms he said he had offered during their infamous televised argument in the Oval Office in February 2025.Relations plunged back into a deep freeze earlier this month after Trump suddenly announced his deal with Russia for diesel, as part of his efforts to lower oil prices sent soaring by his Iran war.The President wrote to Congress that the move was in the national interest, undoing legislation he signed just last month and named in honor of the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Relations plunged back into a deep freeze earlier this month after Trump suddenly announced his deal with Russia for diesel, as part of his efforts to lower oil prices sent soaring by his Iran war Elon Musk approached Donald Trump with the idea of slowing down Starlink in Ukraine, inhibiting its ability to intercept Russian drone and missile attacks, sources have claimedTrump has also refused to blame Putin for starting the Ukraine war – putting him at loggerheads with Britain and other allies over the conflict. Ukraine reacted with dismay after Trump also waived sanctions against Russia's war machine and appeared to once again pivot to Putin.The feud spiraled as Zelensky accused Trump of weakness, and then alleged that the United States was deliberately withholding vital intelligence and delaying the delivery of vital interceptor missiles.The Ukraine war was triggered after Putin ordered the invasion of Russia's neighbour in 2022.Vladimir Putin ordered up to 200,000 troops into Ukraine in an attempt to overthrow its pro-Western government.Since then, Ukraine has suffered hundreds of thousands of deaths while missiles and drones regularly rain down on the capital Kyiv.Starlink satellites, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, provide high-speed internet to Ukraine's military. It is vital for communications on the battlefield and effective drone warfare. Russia strikes on the Ukraine capital of Kyiv back in August Join the discussionShould tech moguls like Elon Musk have the power to influence wars with a private switch?What's your view?With Starlink, Ukrainian drones can stay connected to operators over long distances and counter Russian drones. But on Tuesday night, Starlink suddenly and unexpectedly restricted the speed at which drones could fly while maintaining internet connection. Connectivity had been restored by Wednesday evening. Starlink uses satellites to provide connectivity to almost anywhere in the world. While Starlink is for civilian use, Starshield is its military-grade sister service, designed for the Pentagon.The US government has allowed Ukraine to use Starlink and Starshield in its defence against Russia. It hampered Kyiv's ability to protect itself from incoming Russian drone attacks. Late Monday, Zelensky and the United States hailed 'very productive' talks in Oslo on Tuesday amid efforts to draw a line under a bitter feud between Kyiv's leader and Trump over the war with Russia.After talks with Trump's envoys in the Norwegian capital, Zelensky thanked Washington for the resumption of US intelligence of looming Russian strikes on civilian targets and energy plants.Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is now due to head from Oslo to Russia for talks with Putin on Wednesday in a bid to end Russia's four-year-old war on Ukraine.