The question of who throttled Ukraine's Starlink has a new answer, at least according to the Wall Street Journal. Elon Musk last week ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service that Ukraine relies on, the Journal reported on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter. Reuters and CNBC both said they could not immediately verify the report, and Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not respond to their requests for comment.

What changed for Ukraine

  • The cap: imposed without warning, it cuts the data connection when a terminal moves faster than 160 km/h (100 mph), which is common for Ukrainian drones fitted with Starshield, the Associated Press reported.
  • The effect: the Journal said the decision left some Ukrainian drones virtually inoperable, and Ukraine says it has hampered drone strikes and its defence against Russia's jet-powered drones.
  • Talks: a Zelensky adviser told AP that Ukraine is negotiating with SpaceX and the Pentagon to lift the cap. Zelensky said on Tuesday he raised "the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored" with Rubio.

Who said what

  • The Journal: one person said Musk discussed the matter with senior Trump administration officials, including the president, before the cap; two people said Musk and Trump discussed it "soon after" it became public.
  • Musk (Oct. 14, on X): Starshield systems are "owned and controlled by the US government," and any speed or usage limits are "decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," CNBC reported.
  • Trump (Monday): said he did not know who ordered it, "But I'd like to find out," according to CNBC.
  • Hegseth (Tuesday): "There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to, and that's where Starlink has the option to make those decisions," the Defense Secretary said, per Reuters.
  • Rubio (Wednesday, in India): "I'm not aware that we knew about this decision beforehand. But that's irrelevant... that is governed by a private commercial contract as to how their stuff can be used and what speeds they'll allow it to be used at," Reuters reported. Last weekend he had said nobody in the U.S. ordered the slowdown.

Reuters has separately reported, citing two U.S. officials and a Western official, that the decision ultimately came from the White House, an account the administration denies. The two versions have not been reconciled publicly.

Why Tesla investors are watching

The report landed minutes after SpaceX posted its third-quarter results (see our SpaceX Q3 story) and was not raised on the call, CNBC said. It comes as Tesla and SpaceX have formed special committees to weigh a merger (see our merger story), and Reuters' Morning Bid flagged the Starlink question as one of the regulatory risks a combined company could face. Starlink is already in a separate dispute with the EU over satellite spectrum (see our earlier story).