Follow-Up: Musk Personally Authorized Starshield Slowdown for Ukraine, WSJ Reports; Trump Says He Did Not Know, Rubio Says U.S. Never Asked

According to The Wall Street Journal on October 21, U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter said the October 14 throttling of Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukrainian forces, was authorized by SpaceX founder Elon Musk himself. The slowdown disrupted Ukrainian drone operations in offensive and defensive missions, sparked panic in Kyiv and caused confusion inside the Trump administration. GSM reported earlier today that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Mumbai that the United States never asked Starlink to slow service for Ukraine.

The Journal reported that under the restrictions, Ukrainian terminals lose connectivity when devices move faster than 160 kilometers (99 miles) per hour, while the current connection is below 130 kilometers per hour, leaving attack and interceptor drones largely ineffective; Ukrainian officials said the limits had allowed Russian missiles to evade their defenses. Michael Kofman, a war expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the limits continue to hamper Ukrainian strike operations and air defenses. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Ukrainians could die if unrestricted service was not restored, and his complaints led to an informal investigation inside the White House.

Accounts of how the decision was made differ. Some U.S. officials say Musk acted unilaterally and that President Donald Trump did not specifically order any retribution against Ukraine; a person familiar with the situation said Musk talked to multiple senior administration officials, including Trump, before imposing the speed cap, and the two also discussed it by phone after it became public. Trump told reporters on Monday that he did not know who was responsible for the slowdown, "but I would like to find out," and denied ordering it. Musk previously wrote on X that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that limits are decided by the military and ultimately the president. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon had not ordered any changes to Starshield coverage, adding that SpaceX sets its own terms of service. Rubio said in India on Wednesday that the administration made no request for a throttling: "There was no foreknowledge."

Ukraine's top diplomat in Washington, Denys Sienik, said on Tuesday that Ukraine was still waiting for an official response from the Pentagon and SpaceX at the leaders level to understand what had happened and whether the connection had been or would be restored. SpaceX did not respond to the Journal's request for comment.

Related: Rubio Takes Questions in Mumbai: U.S. Never Asked Starlink to Slow Ukraine Service; Witkoff to Carry Proposal to Putin

Related: Follow-Up: Rep. Mike Turner Demands Congressional Investigation Into Ukraine Starlink Slowdown, Calls Rubio's Explanation 'Absolutely Not' Sufficient

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 星链卫星在轨展开（资料图）。SpaceX 官方图，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布／Starlink satellites deploying in orbit (file photo). SpaceX, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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