Musk chose to restrict Ukraine's access to SpaceX network, sources say

Billionaire Elon Musk made the choice to curb Ukraine's access to the Starshield satellite communications network operated by SpaceX, according to individuals familiar with the situation reported by CBS News.

The throttling of the specialized satellite system began late last Tuesday, significantly hindering Ukrainian armed forces in steering unmanned aerial vehicles, targeting military objectives, and safeguarding vulnerable locations. The Wall Street Journal originally reported on Musk's directive.

Ukrainian troops experienced severe connectivity drops at velocity thresholds as low as 90 kilometers per hour. While commercial Starlink hardware is generally capped at 70 kilometers per hour for moving platforms, military-grade Starshield units typically function without artificial constraints and can handle speeds exceeding 160 kilometers per hour. Because Ukraine's primary mid-range strike and interceptor drones travel at 160 kilometers per hour or faster, the sudden disruption rendered key equipment ineffective.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the constraints hindered military efforts to bring down incoming Shahed strike drones, warning that Moscow was attempting to exploit the satellite connectivity failures. A Ukrainian military drone specialist estimated that the operational setbacks caused tens of millions of dollars in damages.

Before issuing the constraint, Musk engaged in multiple discussions with representatives of the Trump administration in a bid to understand the president's posture, according to CBS News sources. Musk has voiced reluctance over perceptions that his enterprise benefits commercially from the protracted conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Publicly, Musk maintained that the United States government dictates who gets to use the network and sets the parameters of service, writing on X that any speed caps or operational boundaries fall under the authority of the American military and the president.

However, senior U.S. defense officials distanced themselves from the slowdown. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Pentagon had issued no instructions to throttle the network, noting that Starlink holds the discretion to enforce its own contractual terms of service. President Donald Trump remarked earlier in the week that he was unaware of who initiated the operational curbs and wished to uncover the details.

The move has generated sharp blowback on Capitol Hill. A bipartisan contingent of senators requested that the Department of Defense inspector general review the incident, while House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner urged an inquiry on CBS's "Face the Nation," emphasizing that battlefield communication failures endanger lives.

Starshield is a specialized, defense-grade constellation built by SpaceX and paid for under licensing agreements with the U.S. government. Unlike civilian terminals, the network is reserved exclusively for the U.S. and partner nations within Ukrainian territory, with no coverage provided inside Russia.

Ukrainian defense officials asserted that SpaceX unilaterally applied the curbs. While Zelenskyy indicated over the weekend that some restrictions remained in place, he confirmed discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio aimed at fully restoring the communications framework.