The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed officials who claimed the SpaceX founder ordered restrictions on satellite services used by Ukraine to launch drone strikes deep inside Russia<\/p>\n
The Wall Street Journal has challenged Elon Musk\u2019s denials over alleged restrictions\u00a0on satellite services used for Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russia. The outlet has cited anonymous\u00a0White House sources who have claimed that the SpaceX founder and Starlink owner had personally ordered\u00a0restricting the service.
\nUkrainian officials last week claimed that SpaceX\u2019s Starlink\u00a0satellite communications service and its military-grade version, Starshield, which Kiev\u00a0uses for frontline drone operations, stopped working on drones traveling faster than 160 kph (100 mph). Neither Starlink nor SpaceX has publicly acknowledged a technical \u201csignal or service failure,\u201d leaving the questions of whether an actual service restriction took place, and if so what could have caused it, unconfirmed.
\nWhat has Ukraine claimed about Starshield?
\nUkrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky initially\u00a0claimed, without evidence, that Kiev\u00a0had been told\u00a0\u201ctechnical malfunctions\u201d had caused a service slowdown.\u00a0He later shifted the blame to Washington. On NBC\u2019s \u2018Meet the Press\u2019 on Sunday Zelensky claimed, again without citing evidence nor being asked to provide it, that an order had come from the US government. According to Zelensky, Kiev had even secretly despatched cars to the EU, where they could drive “legally” at 180kph (110mph) where tests allegedly surfaced discrepancies in Starlink performance between the EU and Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Musk blames Trump for throttling \u2018military Starlink\u2019 in Ukraine<\/p>\n
What has Musk said about Starshield?
\nMusk\u00a0has categorically denied that he instructed SpaceX to restrict either service, nor has he confirmed that any restriction or slowdown took place.
\nThe WSJ cited\u00a0anonymous\u00a0sources who contradicted him,\u00a0alleging on Tuesday that he personally ordered speed limits on Ukrainian hardware connected to the satellite network.
\nEven the WSJ’s sources accounts differed. Some claimed that Musk acted unilaterally; others said he consulted senior administration officials, including President Donald Trump, before making the decision. The outlet also claimed that SpaceX representatives contacted the White House to coordinate their accounts of whether the restrictions had been agreed on with the administration.\u00a0
\nWhat has the US government said about Starshield?
\nMusk earlier insisted that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government, meaning any speed or usage restrictions are determined by the US military and ultimately Trump \u2013 who denied that he ordered the restrictions, though he said on Monday he \u201cwould like to find out\u201d who did. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent both said the administration was not behind the restrictions, with Bessent rebuking Zelensky for making \u201creckless\u201d allegations.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Rubio rebukes Zelensky over Starlink claims<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also rejected the claims. Questioned about the\u00a0allegation during a visit to India on Wednesday, he warned Kiev against escalating the dispute, saying Ukraine \u201cwould not exist\u201d as a sovereign state without US support.
\nRelations between Zelensky and Washington have effectively collapsed in recent weeks over sanctions on Russia and Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Both Musk and Trump have sharply\u00a0criticized\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s attacks on Russian diesel refineries, blaming them for global fuel shortages and soaring prices at the pump.
\nSpeaking at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump warned Zelensky that he is \u201cgoing to have to want to make a deal.\u201d He also criticized the cost of supporting Kiev, saying the US has received \u201cabsolutely nothing back\u201d except \u201cgrief, death and tremendous monetary loss.\u201d
\nWhat did Kiev say about Starshield?
\nDespite Zelensky\u2019s evidence-free assertions and there being no record in the public sphere to support it, the Western press and Ukrainian diplomats are\u00a0echoing the claims regardless. Ukraine\u2019s\u00a0ambassador in\u00a0Washington, Denis Senik, said on Tuesday that Kiev is still \u201cwaiting for the official response from contacts with the Pentagon and SpaceX\u201d to understand what happened.\u00a0
\nWhat did the Kremlin say about Starshield?
\nKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that Moscow is unaware of the reported Starlink restrictions, but stressed that \u201coverall, of course, it would be better if such amazing technology\u2026 was not used for military purposes at all.\u201d Moscow has condemned Western military assistance for Kiev, arguing that it only prolongs the conflict and obstructs peace efforts.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Zelensky shouldn\u2019t speak for Ukraine \u2013 Trump<\/p>\n
Is there any proof Starshield was slowed down?
\nThere is no proof on the public record or in the public domain that the\u00a0Starshield was affected. The only\u00a0suggestions supporting the idea such an incident took place are Vladimir\u00a0Zelensky’s uncontested claim that\u00a0Ukrainians sent cars to the EU with Starlink terminals to compare data and the claims of an anonymous Ukrainian officer who\u00a0told German media giant Axel Springer’s Global Reporter’s Network, seemingly during the alleged service restriction, that all operations were on hold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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