Speed cap on Ukraine's satellite link

Ukrainian military units began reporting trouble with Starlink connections on 14 October, when equipment running on Starshield, the military branch of the service, started losing its satellite link once it passed 160 km/h. The affected hardware included interceptor drones built to bring down Russian strike drones, including jet-powered models. Military analyst Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the Wall Street Journal that the cap now sits below 130 km/h and still hampers Ukrainian strike operations and air defence. Ukrainian officials argue that the restrictions allowed Russian missiles to get past anti-aircraft defences. Kyiv has accused Washington of deliberately reducing transmission speed, a charge the US denies.

Who ordered the restriction

The Wall Street Journal, citing US government officials and people familiar with the matter, reports that Musk carried out the speed cap himself, though he had discussed the topic with Trump. According to some sources the paper cites, the two spoke during a call after the restrictions became public, while others say they talked before the limit took effect. The British Telegraph had earlier reported that Musk proposed the idea to Trump, and one anonymous source it cited said both sides were ultimately involved. According to the Journal, SpaceX staff then tried to agree a shared line with the White House saying the throttling had been coordinated by both. White House sources told the paper that Trump issued no such order, although there were talks between SpaceX and Trump administration staff about an internet restriction.

Denials and the official line

Trump denied on Friday, 16 October, that he had ordered the restriction, and said he did not believe Musk had either. On 19 October he told reporters he did not know who had caused it and that he wanted to find out. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on 20 October that the administration had not limited Starshield, but that the Starlink terms of service had to be followed. Musk wrote on X that the Pentagon and ultimately the president decide all limits on speed or use of Starshield. Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Washington, Denys Sienik, said on Tuesday, 20 October, that Kyiv was still waiting for official explanations from the Pentagon and SpaceX.

Open questions

The Pentagon has not publicly explained the restrictions, according to the German reporting. Drones still cannot fly faster than 130 km/h without losing their connection, which means the problem has not been resolved for Ukrainian forces. Kyiv wants to know whether full connectivity has been restored or will be restored, and that question remains unanswered in the reports so far.