Musk Ordered Starshield Slowdown, Ukraine Says — SkimNews

Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Elon Musk, identified as Tesla and SpaceX CEO, ordered the slowdown of Starshield — SpaceX's military-grade version of Starlink — according to the Wall Street Journal citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter.
- Ukraine said the disruption hampered its ability to respond to Russian attacks, and the WSJ sourced the reporting to U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Ukraine stated the Starshield slowdown directly hampered its ability to respond to Russian attacks, underscoring how much of a partner nation's frontline defense now flows through a single private satellite network. The WSJ attributes the order to Musk rather than any disclosed U.S. military command decision, raising questions about who controls wartime connectivity.
Ask SkimNews



