Elon Musk said on Wednesday that the US government controls speed restrictions placed on Ukraine's weapons via SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet network, shifting blame for new limits that disrupted Ukrainian military operations.
Starlink imposed a 100mph speed cap on Tuesday night, severing connectivity for any weapons traveling faster. The restriction came during a major Russian attack on Ukraine that killed several people, damaged energy infrastructure, and left over 600,000 without electricity.
Ukrainian officials immediately protested. President Volodymyr Zelensky told UK media he hoped the limits were a technical error and asked for restoration. His adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram that the timing "cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation." Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanked Musk on X and requested the speed limit be removed entirely for Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink.
Musk responded by stating that Starshield is "owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." He added that Starlink itself is for "civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company."
Partial connectivity was restored by Wednesday evening, though the full extent remained unclear.
The restrictions appeared amid heightened US-Ukraine tensions. President Donald Trump has grown frustrated with Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Zelensky told Piers Morgan he felt betrayed after the US made a deal to import 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel. Zelensky also said the US threatened to restrict intelligence sharing if he did not accept Trump's proposed energy ceasefire, though Trump denied this on Tuesday.
Late Wednesday, Musk posted that "the slaughter continues. Time for Zelensky to go," echoing earlier comments supporting Ukraine's leadership change.
The UK announced it would accelerate delivery of lightweight multirole missiles to Ukraine and pledged continued support during Zelensky's visit to London.