Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Elon Musk ordered a reduction in Starshield services for Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday (October 20, 2026), after the tech billionaire said any limits on the SpaceX-operated communications system would ultimately have come from the President.
Mr. Musk capped the speed at which Ukrainian equipment could connect to the system, making some of Kyiv’s drones useless, the Journal reported, citing anonymous U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meanwhile insisted on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) that the Pentagon had not directed any changes to Starshield, saying, “We haven’t pulled anything back.”
“Nothing’s changed from our view. We haven’t made any directives or anything like that,” he said.
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not request any curbs to Starshield.
“It wasn’t me. And I don’t think it was Elon,” Mr. Trump said.
Kyiv last week reported restrictions to the service, which it sees as crucial to fending off Moscow’s invasion, shortly after Mr. Trump criticised Ukraine and urged it to stop targeting Russian oil refineries.
Mr. Musk had previously said that “any limits on speed or usage” of Starshield systems were “decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS,” referring to Mr. Trump.
Ukraine uses Starshield, Starlink’s military-grade satellite service, for its battlefield communications, mid-range strikes on Russia-occupied territory, and its interceptor drones. It also uses SpaceX’s parallel Starlink civilian satellite system.
Relations between Washington and Kyiv have been increasingly tense in recent days, with Mr. Trump calling for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced after he slammed a U.S. deal allowing more Russian diesel into global markets.
Published – October 21, 2026 06:25 am IST
