Musk Says U.S. Government Behind Restrictions on Ukraine's Starshield Network

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday that the U.S. government and President Donald Trump are responsible for any restrictions on Ukraine's military-grade Starlink network, after Kyiv accused SpaceX of imposing new limits on the Starshield internet service without warning and disrupting military operations.

Musk Points to Washington

Writing on X, Musk said that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government, and that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president. He said Starshield is a military-grade satellite network, while Starlink is only meant for civilian or defensive activities. Ukraine had accused SpaceX of imposing new restrictions on Starshield without warning, which disrupted Ukrainian military operations amid fresh Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure.

Speed Limits Hit Drone Operations

Serhii Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on defense technology, said on Telegram that SpaceX had implemented a speed limit on Starlink terminals in motion without notifying the country's defense forces. The move disrupted some missions, and the same restrictions also applied to Starshield, he said. Beskrestnov said Starlink is used to operate Ukraine's interceptor drones, which he described as the most effective solution against Moscow's Shahed drones. Some restrictions appeared to have been partially lifted by Thursday, with former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanking Musk early Thursday morning that Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 kilometers an hour had been restored. Fedorov added that removing Starshield's speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine's defense.

Broader Tensions With Washington

The developments come amid tensions between Kyiv and Washington over an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia announced by Trump. Ukraine has welcomed the deal subject to Moscow honoring its commitment, while Russian authorities said talks were ongoing without confirming an agreement. On Monday, Zelenskyy accused the Russians of breaching the ceasefire. Trump has also taken aim at Ukraine as it continues to strike Russian energy facilities, saying Kyiv's attacks were responsible for rising diesel prices rather than the U.S. war with Iran. Reuters reported Wednesday that Washington has threatened to cut intelligence sharing with Kyiv, and Ukrainian officials said a day earlier that they had not received warnings of Russian attacks for two straight days.

Sources: CNBC · Techmeme