Elon Musk Ordered Restrictions on Starshield Access in Ukraine: Report

US technology entrepreneur Elon Musk ordered restrictions on Starshield services in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.

Musk had previously said that if any restrictions had been imposed on the service, the decision ultimately would have come from the US president.

According to the report, Musk limited the speed at which Ukrainian military equipment could connect to the Starshield satellite communications network. The restrictions reportedly left some Ukrainian drones less effective.

The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed US officials and other people familiar with the issue.

However, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the Pentagon had not ordered any changes to Starshield services.

“We haven't taken any services away. Nothing has changed from our end. We have not issued any such order,” Hegseth said.

President Donald Trump also said last Friday that he had not asked for restrictions to be imposed on Starshield.

“I didn't do that. And I don't think Elon did that either,” Trump said.

Ukraine reported restrictions on Starshield services last week. The development came shortly after Trump criticised Ukraine and urged the country to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.

The reported restrictions have raised concerns in Ukraine, which relies on satellite communications to support its military operations against Russia's invasion.

Earlier, Musk said that any restrictions on the speed or use of the Starshield system were determined by the US military, with the final decision resting with the US president.

Ukraine uses Starshield to maintain communications on the battlefield, support medium-range strikes against Russian-occupied territory and operate drones used to counter enemy unmanned aerial vehicles.

Starshield is the military-oriented version of SpaceX's satellite communications technology, developed for government and national security applications.

Ukraine also uses Starlink, SpaceX's civilian satellite communications service, which has played an important role in maintaining connectivity during the war.

Any restrictions on satellite connectivity could affect Ukraine's ability to coordinate military operations and deploy drones effectively, particularly in areas where conventional communications infrastructure is damaged or unavailable.