Musk personally ordered Starlink throttling for Ukraine, disabling drones and alarming Kyiv and Washington

Elon Musk reportedly ordered the throttling of Starlink for Ukrainian military use himself in mid-October, disabling numerous attack and interceptor drones and causing alarm in Kyiv and Washington. The Wall Street Journal reports Musk limited terminal functionality at high speeds, rendering drones useless. Disagreement exists over whether Musk coordinated with President Trump, with some officials saying he acted alone. The move follows Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, which Musk criticized. This incident echoes Musk's 2022 refusal to activate Starlink near Crimea, which thwarted a Ukrainian attack. European officials have condemned the reliance on a private US company, while Kyiv awaits an official response from the Pentagon and SpaceX regarding restoring service.