Pentagon IG refuses to investigate Starlink/Starshield slowdown in Ukraine

Musk has said that all limits on Starshield speed and usage “are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” Trump denied ordering the restrictions, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration had “no foreknowledge” of the slowdown. Shaheen yesterday said, “It is concerning that the inspector general has apparently decided not to investigate satellite communication disruptions that Ukraine relies on to protect its civilians,” according to CNN. Shaheen said the Trump administration and SpaceX gave “conflicting accounts of what led to those disruptions, which weakened Ukraine’s defenses and put American personnel in Ukraine at risk unnecessarily. There must be an independent accounting and review to determine responsibility and prevent this from happening in the future. I urge the inspector general to conduct a full investigation.” Putin praises Musk as Russia plans Starlink alternative Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday reportedly called Elon Musk a “genius” while discussing Russia’s plan to build a satellite constellation. Putin made the comment at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. “The admission was all the more striking because a version of Starlink, developed by Musk’s SpaceX, has been used by Ukraine’s military throughout the war with Russia as a key component of drone operations and battlefield communications,” Reuters wrote in an article describing Putin’s comments. Putin reportedly made his comments during a presentation by a Russian government minister who was describing Russia’s initial launches of 30 satellites. “Just a second, ⁠I want to point out this is just our first step. Elon Musk is a genius, he’s just a real genius,” Putin said, according to Reuters. Putin noted that Starlink already operates thousands of satellites, “while we are only taking our first steps,” and said he has been in “close contact” with Musk. “We ‌are in ⁠close contact with our American partners—including Mr. Musk—because it is very important, in orbit, not to get in each other’s way and to maintain a certain level of discipline and order,” Putin was quoted as saying.