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
The Wall Street Journal has challenged Elon Musk’s denials over alleged restrictions on satellite services used for Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russia. The outlet cited unnamed White House sources who claimed that the SpaceX founder personally ordered the restrictions.
The controversy erupted last week after Ukrainian officials claimed that SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications service and its military-grade version, Starshield, which Kiev relies on for frontline drone operations, abruptly stopped working on drones traveling faster than 160 kph (100 mph). Neither Starlink nor SpaceX has publicly acknowledged a technical “signal or service failure,” leaving the cause of the reported disruption unconfirmed.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky initially said Kiev was told the slowdowns were caused by “technical malfunctions,” but later shifted the blame to Washington. He told NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday that the order came from the US government, while also claiming that Ukrainian tests revealed discrepancies in Starlink performance between the EU and Ukraine.
Though Musk denied that he instructed SpaceX to restrict either service, the WSJ cited unnamed sources who contradicted him, reporting on Tuesday that he personally ordered speed limits on Ukrainian hardware connected to the satellite network.
The sources offered differing accounts. 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. The controversy reportedly prompted an informal White House investigation.
Musk 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 – who denied that he ordered the restrictions, though he said on Monday he “would like to find out” 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 “reckless” allegations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also rejected the claims. Questioned about the report during a visit to India on Wednesday, he warned Kiev against escalating the dispute, saying Ukraine “would not exist” as a sovereign state without US support.
Amid the contradictory accounts and finger-pointing, Kiev appears no closer to establishing what caused the disruption or who, if anyone, ordered it. Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington, Denis Senik, said on Tuesday that Kiev is still “waiting for the official response from contacts with the Pentagon and SpaceX” to understand what happened and whether the connection would be restored. SpaceX did not respond to media requests for comment.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that Moscow is unaware of the reported Starlink restrictions, but stressed that “overall, of course, it would be better if such amazing technology… was not used for military purposes at all.” Moscow has condemned Western military assistance for Kiev, arguing that it only prolongs the conflict and obstructs peace efforts.
The dispute comes amid a deepening rift between Zelensky and Washington over sanctions on Russia and Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Musk and Trump have criticized Ukraine’s attacks on Russian diesel refineries, blaming them for global fuel shortages and soaring prices at the pump.
Speaking at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump warned Zelensky that he is “going to have to want to make a deal.” He also criticized the cost of supporting Kiev, saying the US has received “absolutely nothing back” except “grief, death and tremendous monetary loss.”
