Elon Musk ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine; why Kyiv's military drones suddenly lost connectivity

Ukraine’s forces faced disrupted drone missions and faltering battlefield communications after Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service last week, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.

The restrictions hampered Ukrainian attack and air defence drone missions against Russia. They came as relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Washington fell to new lows following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal to buy Russian diesel and his decision to waive new sanctions on Moscow.

Starlink restrictions disrupt Ukrainian drone missions

The restrictions took effect on October 14, when Ukrainian forces reported that Starlink terminals mounted on drones were losing connectivity at speeds above 160 kilometres per hour. Ukrainian officials said the change was introduced without advance warning and disrupted several military missions.

Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy on military technology, said several missions had been affected. Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Reaction Corps said some operations had to be cancelled after terminals lost connectivity at high speeds. The restrictions affected drones used for offensive and defensive missions, including those deployed to intercept incoming Russian drones.

Musk and Trump discussed Starlink slowdown

Musk and Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public while the president was campaigning last week, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report said they had also discussed the matter before the decision to throttle the service. Reuters previously reported that the order to limit the satellite system came from inside the White House.

Trump said last week that he did not think either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access. Musk said any limits on speed or Starshield use were decided by the US military or the president. US officials have denied ordering the disruption, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected claims that the White House directed the move.

Zelenskyy asks US to restore Starlink and Starshield access

Zelenskyy, who is in Oslo in an effort to repair relations with the US, said on Tuesday that he had discussed issues including “the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored” with Rubio. Trump has also told Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and urged Ukrainians to replace Zelenskyy.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Washington had not withdrawn Ukraine’s ability to access Starlink’s satellite network, but indicated that the issue concerned terms of service with which Kyiv needed to comply. Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify The Wall Street Journal report.

The reported slowdown disrupted Ukraine’s drone operations and prompted Kyiv to examine backup communications while engaging partners over restoring access to Starlink and Starshield.

Why Starlink is critical to Ukraine’s military operations

Starlink has been a key communications tool for Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian forces use the satellite network to coordinate operations, guide drones and communicate in areas where conventional networks are unreliable. Starshield, its military-focused counterpart, is designed for government and defence users.