Musk ordered a Starlink slowdown for Ukrainian forces, leaving some military drones virtually useless amid conflicting accounts over who imposed the limits

Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of a military-grade Starlink service used by Ukrainian forces, leaving some of their military drones virtually useless and causing panic in Kyiv and confusion within the Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reported. US officials familiar with the situation told the newspaper that Musk capped the service’s speeds.

Musk and President Donald Trump have both voiced anger over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian diesel refineries in recent weeks; Trump has blamed the attacks for high oil prices. Sources cited by the Journal said the two discussed the decision both before and after the slowdown became public last week. Trump denied ordering the restrictions.

Hours after the slowdown became public, Musk wrote on X that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the president. Trump told reporters on Monday that he did not know who was responsible. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that nothing had been pulled back, while adding that Starlink can make decisions about its terms of service.

The slowdown began on October 14. It followed several statements by the Trump administration that Ukrainian officials viewed as hostile, prompting Kyiv to immediately suspect that US leadership had ordered the move. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainians could die if unrestricted service was not restored.