Ukrainian officials on Wednesday accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of throttling Kyiv’s access to the military version of its Starlink satellite internet system without warning — just as Russia launched one of the largest aerial barrages of the war.
According to Ukraine’s wartime leader, Russia fired 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones and loitering munitions overnight at energy and critical infrastructure in Kyiv, the Kyiv region, and Kharkiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes left some 600,000 people without power.
“In terms of scale, this is one of the largest attacks,” Zelenskyy said in a statement Wednesday, adding: “It is clear that the Russians are trying to take advantage of the problems with Starlink in Ukraine, as our interceptor drones depend on this connection among other things.”
Top Zelenskyy adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said Kyiv’s defense forces “received no warning about this restriction, and it led to the disruption of a number of missions.” A source familiar with the situation told the New York Post the throttling capped the velocity of Ukrainian drones at 100 miles per hour, making high-speed drone, airplane and helicopter operations — and efforts to counter Russia’s Shahed drones — far harder.
Musk rejected the blame, saying any apparent disruption came not from SpaceX but from the White House: “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk said, referring to the separate military satellite program that serves Ukraine. USA Today reported it had reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment.
The dispute erupted as relations between Washington and Kyiv sharply deteriorated. President Trump recently called Zelenskyy a “Dictator without Elections,” suggested Ukrainians should choose a new leader, and announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring Russian diesel fuel to the United States — a deal Zelenskyy called a “betrayal.” Musk posted on X that “Zelensky has gone too far” and added: “I agree, time for Ukraine to get a new leader.”
European officials weighed in. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski — Poland pays some $50 million a year for Ukraine’s Starlink access — lashed out at Musk on X: “Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, we are watching you.”
Kyiv also said Russia had launched ballistic missiles without warning for the second night in a row — a break from past practice, when the United States historically tipped off Ukraine about incoming ballistic-missile attacks. “It’s so unfortunate that this has coincided with the glitches (as we were told) in getting early warning about ballistic missile attacks from our partners,” the Post’s source said.
Who actually restricted Ukraine’s satellite speeds remains disputed, and the story is developing.
Sources: USA Today; New York Post.
