Elon Musk said on X that the US military, not SpaceX, decides any speed limits on Starshield, the military version of Starlink. His comment followed Ukrainian reports that new limits cut off its drones during a Russian attack. Hours later, he wrote that it is time for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to leave office.
On the night of Tuesday, 13 October, Starlink capped speeds at 100mph (160km/h), causing weapons moving faster than that to lose their connection to the network. Ukraine has been using Starlink to guide drones and defend its airspace.
The cap came as Russia attacked Kyiv, the Kyiv region and Kharkiv. Zelensky said Russia used 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones and loitering munitions. At least 600,000 people lost electricity.
Zelensky told UK media he hoped the cap was a mistake or a technical fault and asked for the service to be switched back on. His adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram that the timing was no coincidence and linked it to the political situation. By Wednesday evening the service was partly restored, according to Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s former defense minister. He asked Musk to remove the limit completely.
Elon Musk replied to Fedorov that the US government owns and controls Starshield, and that the US military and “ultimately POTUS” decide any limits on speed or use. He added that Starlink is for civilian or defensive use and cannot support offensive military action, which he said would be inappropriate for a commercial company. The US government has not commented.
In an interview with British presenter Piers Morgan in London on Wednesday, Zelensky reportedly said Musk and the US deliberately cut off Starlink and that people died as a result. Zelensky said he felt betrayed over a US deal with Russia to import 300,000 tonnes of diesel.
Late on Wednesday, Elon Musk replied to an X post, saying Zelensky would not end the war until Russia was defeated. He wrote: “Time for Zelensky to go.” Earlier in the week, he agreed with President Donald Trump, who had said Ukraine needs a new president.
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Trump has grown frustrated with Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy sites. Zelensky said the US threatened to restrict intelligence sharing unless he accepted Trump’s energy ceasefire. But Trump denied this on Tuesday.
Many X users have criticized Elon Musk and Trump, and some said they canceled Starlink. Senator Thom Tillis asked Musk to confirm the disruption was unintended. Other users said any company can deny service and that there is no evidence the slowdown was deliberate. Several said Europe should build its own satellite network.
