Musk says any limits on Ukraine's Starlink access down to US, not his firm
Elon Musk claims that speed restrictions on Starlink services used by Ukraine are controlled by the US government rather than his company, SpaceX. This follows reports that Ukrainian forces experienced connectivity issues affecting their drone operations.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the complex role of private technology companies in modern warfare and the geopolitical influence of satellite internet providers.
Image source, Reuters By Tiffany Wertheimer Published 12 minutes ago Elon Musk has suggested that the US government may be behind restrictions on the speed at which some of Ukraine's weapons can travel and stay connected to his Starlink internet network.
Starlink is a vital tool allowing Kyiv to guide drones to Russian targets and also protect its own skies, but on Tuesday night Ukraine said unexpected new speed limits were disrupting its battlefield missions.
An advisor to president Zelensky said he believed the restrictions were not a co-incidence and were related to the latest strains between Kyiv and Washington
Musk said that Starshield, the military-grade sister service to Starlink, is controlled by the US government, and "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately [the US president]".
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in