Axios: SpaceX Denies That It Has Throttled Starlink Speeds For Ukraine
- 12.11.2026, 22:53
Zelenskyy had previously announced the speed limit.
SpaceX, the company owned by American businessman Elon Musk, did not limit the speed of Starshield—the military version of the Starlink satellite communications system—for Ukraine. A company representative told Axios this.
“That’s not true. There have been no changes,” SpaceX commented in response to remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding Starshield speed restrictions.
Earlier, Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian units had been observing significant disruptions in Starshield’s operations over Ukrainian territory for several days: along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. Specifically, Starshield’s speed is systematically limited to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour).
“The Ukrainian military has already investigated the circumstances, and these are not random errors but a systematic speed limit,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian government has asked the Pentagon and SpaceX to explain the new restrictions.
According to one Ukrainian official, the restrictions have been in place for three days.
“On the first day, the restrictions were 10%; on the second, 50%; and today, due to the restrictions, we are unable to complete 100% of our missions,” the official told Axios.
The bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus stated that it is “extremely concerned” by reports of restrictions on Starshield’s operations.
“On behalf of the 105 members of the bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus, we demand that the Trump administration and SpaceX provide a full explanation of how and why this happened, and take immediate steps to restore full access to the Starshield system,” the group stated.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces use SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield products to provide internet access on the ground and to control drones. The military reported the speed restrictions in October.
There has never been a clear official answer as to who made the decision to restrict internet access in Ukraine at that time. Media outlets reported that the directive came from the White House. And that the decision was made amid pressure from President Donald Trump on Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Musk stated that he had nothing to do with the slowdown of Starshield. “That’s a different system controlled by the U.S. government. What they decide to do is their business,” he wrote.
Trump denied having made such a decision. Even after all satellite internet services in Ukraine had been restored, Donald Trump, when asked yet again who had made the decision, once again evaded the question.
“I don’t want to comment on whether I called or someone else did. I don’t think it matters. The main thing is that it’s back to normal,” Trump said, responding to a question about his conversation with Musk.
On October 24, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that Starlink and Starshield speeds had been restored and that satellite communications were operating stably.