Elon Musk confirmed that any restrictions regarding the speed or use of Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine are decisions made by the U.S. government and its president.
On 14 Oct 2026, Elon Musk, the famous billionaire and owner of several major global tech companies, confirmed that the U.S. government is behind the speed limits that determine how fast certain Ukrainian weapons can travel and how long they can stay connected to SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet network.
These speed restrictions refer to limits on the internet connection speed of the Starlink satellite system (including the security mission system Starshield) installed on moving vehicles and weapons of the Ukrainian military, where the signal is immediately cut off when weapons or drones exceed the set speed limit.
"The Starshield system is owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Therefore, any restrictions regarding speed or usage depend primarily on decisions by the U.S. military and the U.S. president (POTUS)," Elon Musk explained in a message posted on X.
He added that Starlink is intended only for "civilian activities or self-defense, and cannot be used for offensive military operations because that would be inappropriate for a commercial company."
Previously, the Ukrainian military stated that Starlink's signal speed was limited to no more than 160 kilometers per hour, causing Ukrainian weapons or drones moving faster than this speed to immediately lose their connection, severely impacting battlefield missions.
Ukraine relies heavily on Starlink to navigate drones attacking Russian targets and to defend its airspace. The speed restrictions came during a period of intense Russian air raids, leaving over 600,000 people without electricity.
Later, the signal was partially restored, with Kyrylo Fedorov, former Ukrainian Minister of Defense, posting thanks to Musk on X and calling for all speed restrictions to be lifted for national defense purposes.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, believes this incident is not accidental or technical but is linked to the tense relations between Kyiv and Washington.
Former President Donald Trump has expressed growing dissatisfaction with Ukraine's continued attacks on Russian energy plants, while Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed after the U.S. agreed last week to import 300,000 tons of diesel oil from Russia.
During this crisis, President Zelenskyy visited London, met with King Charles III, and held talks with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, where UK authorities announced accelerated delivery of lightweight multipurpose missiles (LMM) to Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones, reaffirming their ongoing support.
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Source:bbc