WSJ: Musk ordered the slowing down of Starlink's speed in Ukraine

Sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal alleged that instructions were given to slow down the speed of Starlink satellite systems belonging to SpaceX, which Musk owns, in Ukraine. Sources claimed that Musk limited the speeds at which Ukrainian-made equipment could remain connected to the satellite-based network and that this made some attack and defense drones almost useless. Two sources suggested that Musk and US President Donald Trump had a phone call about the slowdown decision shortly after it was made public, and one source alleged that they also discussed this matter before the decision to slow down Starlink's speed. While the discussions continued, sources who argued that SpaceX representatives sought to convey a common understanding and message to their counterparts in the White House that the company and the Trump administration were working in coordination with Musk's instructions, stated that Musk met with many senior officials, including Trump, before implementing the speed limit. Trump had previously stated that the reports claiming he ordered the cutting or slowing down of the internet provided to the Ukrainian army by Starlink were not true. Musk also stated that the military version of the "Starlink" satellite system, the StarShield system, was entirely controlled by the US government and that any limitations on speed or use were ultimately determined by the US President. Zelensky stated that the use of Starlink was limited. Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, stated that the use of Starlink was not completely shut down in Ukraine, but its use for some military and humanitarian purposes was limited due to speed restrictions. Zelensky, who spoke at the EU Leaders Summit in Brussels, noted that he received signals from the White House that the service would be fully restored. Ukraine announced that the StarShield system had slowed down. Sergiy Beskrestnov, a consultant to Zelensky on defense technology development, stated that the Starlink system "imposes limitations" on the operating speed of the "military package" internet service used by the Ukrainian army. Beskrestnov, who conveyed that this limitation applied to the military package called "StarShield," stated, "We were not informed about this limit by our defense forces, and this led to a series of mission disruptions. This development is clearly not a coincidence and is related to the current political situation."