Elon Musk suggests that the U.S. government is responsible for a potential slowdown of the secure Starshield military network

Elon Musk stated on Wednesday that any slowdown or limitation of the Starshield military network in Ukraine is decided by the United States government, not SpaceX. The statement comes after Kyiv reported restrictions that affected the use of drones and air defense.

Musk specified, in a message posted on the X platform, that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government, and that decisions regarding bandwidth and their use belong to the U.S. military and, ultimately, to the American president. The entrepreneur distinguished between Starshield, used for military communications at the front, and Starlink, intended for civilian use.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Musk to restore the service, warning that disruptions could put lives at risk. A Ukrainian official claimed, under condition of anonymity, that Washington had threatened to suspend intelligence sharing if Ukraine did not stop attacks on Russian refineries.

The restrictions were denounced by Democrats in the U.S. Congress, who asked the Pentagon to clarify whether it had reduced access to satellite networks or intelligence sharing with Kyiv.