Musk Confirms SpaceX Throttled Starlink in Ukraine, Service Restored After Week-Long Restrictions

Elon Musk posted on X on Saturday that SpaceX had deliberately throttled the Starlink satellite internet service used by Ukraine, a move he said was intended to enforce the company's terms of service. He added that the civilian commercial service had never been permitted for offensive drone strikes and that a loophole allowing such use was closed last week.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later announced on the same platform that Starlink speeds had been restored to pre-restriction levels, improving logistics and defense against Russian Shahed drones on the front lines.

Musk also stated that the U.S. government controlled any changes to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink that underpins Ukraine’s drone operations and communications.

The speed restrictions, which lasted more than a week, had caused Ukrainian commanders to report lost drones and disrupted missions. The restoration coincides with renewed diplomatic efforts, including a three-way negotiation involving Washington, Kyiv and Moscow, and a localized ceasefire brokered by First Lady Melania Trump near Oleshky.

U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have denied direct involvement in the throttling decision, and President Donald Trump said he did not make the call and should not blame Musk.

Separately, Ukrainian forces reported a missile strike in Lozova that killed one person and wounded two, while Russian-occupied Crimea experienced power outages after Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck a chemical plant in Tolyatti and an electronics plant in Oryol, both in Russia, and drones reached the Omsk region in western Siberia, where an online retailer’s logistics center was hit.