US officials and Elon Musk traded blame over satellite restrictions that grounded Ukrainian drones and disrupted front-line defenses.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Mumbai on Wednesday that decisions about Ukraine’s access to Starlink rest with SpaceX and its chief executive Elon Musk rather than the White House. Al Jazeera reported that Rubio denied the Trump administration played any part in slowing down satellite internet services relied on by Kyiv to guide drones and intercept Russian missiles.
The comments come after Ukrainian forces experienced sudden technical curbs on SpaceX equipment that caused unmanned aerial vehicles to drop midflight. Ukraine accused SpaceX of throttling Starlink during Russian attacks starting on Oct. 13, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintained that the curbs were requested by US officials.
“The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk,” Rubio said on Wednesday.
Disagreements over who ordered the restrictions have surfaced across multiple reports. CBS News reported Tuesday that Musk made the decision to restrict the satellite network, while The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk, President Donald Trump and White House officials discussed the slowdown beforehand and spoke again afterward. The Reuters news agency reported that the directive came directly from the White House. Both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected those claims, with Hegseth saying Tuesday, “We haven’t made any directives or anything like that.”
Musk also denied responsibility on social media, writing that any restrictions on speed or network use are set by the US military and the American president. He stated that commercial Starlink services are restricted to civilian or defensive functions and cannot be used for offensive military actions.
How speed limits grounded Ukrainian drones
The equipment disruptions struck Ukraine’s military units on Oct. 13 when Starshield receivers mounted on strike drones began disconnecting at high velocities. SpaceX operates two satellite tiers: standard commercial Starlink and Starshield, a military-grade system licensed through the US government with higher security and no ordinary speed caps.
Standard Starlink terminals cut connection speeds when traveling faster than 70 kilometers per hour, or 43.5 mph, to accommodate moving ground vehicles. Starshield normally functions at speeds reaching or exceeding 160 km/h, the typical cruising velocity for Ukrainian mid-range strike drones. During the disruption, Ukrainian units reported service drops at speeds as low as 90 km/h, which disabled their unmanned craft midair.
Zelenskyy’s adviser Serhii Beskrestnov stated on Telegram on Oct. 14 that SpaceX set a cap of 160 km/h without warning, interfering with drones designed to counter faster Russian aerial strikes. Dimko Zhluktenko, a drone pilot and analyst with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, estimated that the degraded service resulted in tens of millions of dollars in equipment losses.
Background on SpaceX’s role in the war
Ukraine has relied on SpaceX satellite constellations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in early 2022. The system initially ran on private donations and US foreign aid before the Pentagon awarded SpaceX a formal contract in 2023 to supply Starlink access alongside 500 Starshield units.
The Pentagon broadened that agreement in August 2024 by contracting for 3,000 Starshield terminals on front-line positions. The technology links battlefield sensors, communication channels and weapon platforms across combat zones where local ground networks are destroyed. Russian forces had also accessed commercial Starlink terminals until SpaceX disconnected them in February, a cutoff that helped Ukrainian troops reclaim more than 150 square miles of territory.
Musk has repeatedly voiced reluctance over SpaceX being seen as profiting from the ongoing war. While direct rivals such as Amazon Leo are developing alternative low-Earth orbit constellations, Amazon has under 400 operational satellites compared to Starlink’s 11,150, leaving Ukraine with no substitute network.
Uncertain status and next steps
Conflicting accounts remain over whether Ukraine’s full satellite access has been restored. Ukrainian defense officials initially reported the resumption of regular operations on Oct. 15. However, Zelenskyy told NBC News on Sunday that velocity restrictions remained at 161 km/h, and his office confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Starlink continued to experience throttling.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said connectivity remained constrained but noted that Rubio pledged to work with American officials to clear the blocks. Rubio acknowledged in India that contracts covering military-grade Starshield systems represent a separate matter from commercial equipment because the US government pays to license that specific service.
