Elon Musk ordered speed cap on Ukraine’s Starshield service, reports say

US officials told the Wall Street Journal Musk limited Starshield speeds without White House clearance, a claim Musk later disputed.

By Felo News Desk · Published Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:27:41 GMT

SpaceX chief Elon Musk is reported to have imposed a speed cap on Ukraine’s military‑grade Starshield satellite service on Oct. 14, limiting drones that fly faster than 100 mph, according to two outlets citing U.S. officials.

What happened

On Oct. 14, the speed of connections for Starshield terminals used by the Ukrainian armed forces was capped, preventing objects traveling above 100 mph from staying linked to the network. The restriction coincided with a wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian power plants and a fragile cease‑fire brokered by former President Donald Trump on Oct. 11.

What the reports add

The New York Post notes that U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal the cap was applied without consulting the White House, while another source said Musk had spoken with senior administration figures and Trump before the decision. The Independent adds that the Wall Street Journal reported a phone call between Musk and Trump after the outage became public, and that both men have previously criticised Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian diesel refineries.

What was said

According to the New York Post, Musk posted on X on Oct. 14 that “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” The Independent reports that Musk later blamed Trump for the limitations, while Trump denied any involvement, saying he did not think either he or the billionaire were responsible.

How it came about

Felo previously covered the dispute over Starlink speed limits in several pieces. On Oct. 15, the outlet reported Musk’s claim that the US government set the limits (Musk blames Trump for Starlink speed limits). Earlier, on Oct. 14, Felo detailed Ukrainian defence adviser Serhii Beskrestnov’s allegation that caps on terminals over 100 mph hampered drone control (Ukraine accuses SpaceX of throttling Starlink). Subsequent reports on Oct. 16 and Oct. 18 described Musk’s discussions with Trump and Zelensky’s accusations that the slowdown persisted despite US denials (Musk and Trump discussed slowing Starlink, Zelensky says Starshield speed cap remains).

Key facts

Elon Musk ordered a speed cap on Ukraine's Starshield service on Oct. 14, limiting connections for objects over 100 mph. (nypost.com)
U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal the cap was applied without White House clearance. (nypost.com)
Musk posted on X saying limits are decided by the US military and the president. (nypost.com)
The Independent reports Musk later blamed Trump for the slowdown, while Trump denied involvement. (independent.co.uk)

Where accounts differ

Who Musk blamed for the speed cap: Musk said limits are set by the US military and POTUS. (nypost.com); Musk later blamed Trump for the limitations, while Trump denied any role. (independent.co.uk)

Timeline

2026-10-11 — Trump‑brokered fragile energy cease‑fire between Russia and Ukraine.
2026-10-14 — Speed cap imposed on Starshield terminals, affecting drones over 100 mph.
2026-10-15 — Musk publicly said US government set the limits.