Elon Musk ordered throttling of Starlink network used by Ukraine, WSJ reveals

• Elon Musk personally ordered a significant slowdown of the military-grade Starshield satellite network used by Ukraine, capping speeds and rendering offensive drones nearly inoperable.
• The throttling occurred amid escalating tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, with Trump blaming Ukraine for high global energy prices.
• Ukrainian units experienced catastrophic link drops at speeds as low as 90 kph, costing tens of millions of dollars in hardware losses, though maximum speed was later partially restored to 161 kph.
• Musk held multiple conversations with senior Trump administration officials before imposing the cap, but claimed the decision ultimately rests with the U.S. military and president.
• The incident has sparked bipartisan calls for an investigation, with lawmakers questioning whether the Department of War had a role in the throttling.

A report by the Wall Street Journal has revealed that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk himself ordered a significant slowdown of the military-grade Starshield satellite network used by Ukraine.

According to U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter, Musk capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could connect to the satellite-based network, throttling a system essential for drone operations and battlefield communications. The decision rendered offensive drones virtually inoperable, and sparked urgent questions about who ultimately controls the tools of modern warfare.

Musk’s throttling of the Starshield network came amid escalating tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. “I don’t know who it was, but I’d like to find out,” the real estate mogul told reporters on Monday, Oct. 19.

Starshield is a military-grade derivative of SpaceX’s Starlink network that is exclusively licensed to the U.S. government. Unlike civilian Starlink terminals, which are artificially capped at 70 kilometers per hour (kph) to prevent misuse in moving vehicles, Starshield was designed to operate at speeds exceeding 160 kph – the cruising speed of the strike drones that form the backbone of Ukraine’s mid-range offensive capabilities.

Ukrainian units began reporting catastrophic link drops at speeds as low as 90 kph, making fast-moving drones nearly impossible to pilot. Dimko Zhluktenko, a drone pilot and analyst in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, estimated that the degradation cost Ukraine tens of millions of dollars in hardware losses.

Zelensky confirmed the impact, writing on X that “the Russians are trying to take advantage of the problems with Starlink in Ukraine, as our interceptor drones depend on this connection among other things.” The Ukrainian leader later told NBC News that while the maximum speed had been partially restored to 161 kph, restrictions remained.

The truth behind Starlink’s sudden slowdown

The current restrictions come as Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Zelensky, blaming Ukraine’s strikes on Russian diesel refineries for high global energy prices. The president recently waived sanctions on Moscow and restrictions on buying Russian diesel, a move Zelensky argued would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin.

BrightU.AI‘s Enoch warns that Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries risk provoking a dangerous escalation that could turn the conflict into a broader energy war, harming civilians on both sides while failing to hasten peace. The attacks also endanger Europe’s energy stability and may trigger harsher Russian retaliation, prolonging the war and deepening suffering far beyond the front lines.

Musk, who has expressed distaste with his company being seen as profiting from the war, held multiple conversations with senior Trump administration officials – including the president himself – before imposing the speed cap, sources told CBS News. He wrote on X that Starshield systems are “owned and controlled by the U.S. government” and that any limits are “decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS [the U.S. president].”

The fallout has been immediate and bipartisan. “There needs to be an investigation, we need to find out who these people are because lives are at risk and lives are lost over these things,” Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said during an episode of “Face the Nation.” A bipartisan group of senators has also asked the Department of War‘s internal watchdog to investigate.

Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters Tuesday, Oct. 20, that the War Department had not manipulated the service. “We haven’t pulled anything back,” he said. “There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied [with] – and that’s where Starlink has the option to make those decisions.”

Yet Zelensky’s public complaints – and the fact that civilian Starlink users in Ukraine noticed no change – suggest a targeted, tactical decision rather than a broad policy shift. The Ukrainian leader has since spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about restoring full service.

As Russia continues to strike Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the prospect of a frozen conflict looms, the throttling of Starshield represents a dangerous precedent. The deeper question, one with profound implications for national security and the future of warfare, is whether any single individual should hold the power to decide when a sovereign ally’s military technology is throttled.

Watch Alex Jones discussing Ukraine’s 2023 demand for Elon Musk to lend the Starlink service for Kyiv’s war on Russia below.

This video is from the Infowars channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

WSJ.com

CNBC.com

CBSNews.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com