Elon Musk personally decided to restrict Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starshield satellite communications network, CBS News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter, adding that Musk consulted US administration officials before taking the decision.

Musk held multiple conversations with administration officials to clarify President Donald Trump’s position before the restrictions were imposed, according to the sources. He has expressed discomfort with the perception that SpaceX is profiting from the continuing Russia-Ukraine war.

Pentagon, Trump shirk responsibility for restrictions

The decision reportedly surprised some officials in the Trump administration, who said neither the president nor the Pentagon had specifically ordered restrictions intended to interfere with Ukrainian drone operations or battlefield communications. Trump said Monday he wanted to establish who was responsible for the slowdown.

“I don't know who it was, but I'd like to find out,” Trump said. Musk, whose company licenses Starshield technology to the US government, wrote on X last week that decisions over access and service levels rested with US authorities.

“Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” he wrote.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth denied Tuesday that the Pentagon had directed any changes to the service, saying SpaceX could make decisions under its terms of service.

“We haven't pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to. And that's where Starlink has the option to make those decisions, but nothing's changed from our view. We haven't made any directives or anything like that,” Hegseth told reporters, adding, “We wish the Ukrainians, obviously, success.”

Ukrainian forces reported Starshield connection failures

Ukrainian officials and military personnel told CBS News that their forces began experiencing problems with Starshield equipment late Tuesday, when connection slowdowns affected drones operating at high speeds. Sources within Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said SpaceX had imposed the restrictions unilaterally.

Standard Starlink terminals have a 70 km/h speed limit for internet use in moving vehicles, beyond which the connection degrades. Starshield has no artificial speed cap and is known to function at speeds of at least 160 km/h. Ukrainian strike drones travel at 160 km/h or faster, relying on the system for medium-range strikes.

Ukrainian units reported connection failures at speeds as low as 90 km/h, rendering affected drones inoperable. Dimko Zhluktenko, a drone pilot and analyst in Ukraine’s Armed Forces, estimated that the service degradation had cost Ukraine tens of millions of dollars in losses.

Disruption derails Russian drone interception

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that the speed restrictions had prevented Ukrainian forces from using Starshield to intercept Russian attack drones. He wrote on X last week that “the Russians are trying to take advantage of the problems with Starlink in Ukraine, as our interceptor drones depend on this connection among other things.”

Zelensky indicated that restrictions remained in place, telling NBC News over the weekend that the maximum speed was 161 km/h. On Tuesday, he said he had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about “the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored.”

The reported restrictions prompted a bipartisan group of US senators to ask the War Department’s internal watchdog to investigate. Republican Representative Mike Turner of Ohio also called for an inquiry during an appearance on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan over the weekend.

“There needs to be an investigation, we need to find out who these people are because lives are at risk and lives are lost over these things,” Turner said.