Elon Musk addresses SpaceX’s move to restrict Starlink in Ukraine: ‘POTUS makes the call’

Elon Musk has finally broken silence on SpaceX’s move to restrict Starlink access to Ukraine in the midst of war with Russia.

The response comes after presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov reported that SpaceX introduced some restrictions on some Starlink services in Ukraine without prior warning, thereby disrupting drone missions and military operations.

Hence, Kyive is unable to carry out the operation of its military-grade version above 100 miles per hour. Space’ move of placing restrictions on Starlink drew backlash from Ukrainian officials including president Volodymyr Zelenskyy but also from Poland officials.

According to Elon Musk, the decision to restrict Starlink services was not SpaceX’s. Every decision regarding the services’ speed and usage is often made by the US military and President of America.

His remarks came in response to Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fyodorov’s post about the speed of Starlink and Starshield.

On Wednesday, the CEO of SpaceX wrote, “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately [the president of the US] POTUS.”

Musk also highlighted that the Starlink satellite system is not being used for offensive missions, only for defensive and civilian activities.

“Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company,” Musk added.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Reaction Corps also issued a statement mentioning the cancellation of some missions due to limitations.

"According to our observations, during flights, the connection could drop for 10–20 seconds at speeds of just 110–120 km/h. The drones kept ​moving, but these interruptions made them harder to control.”

Recent developments and their severe impact on Ukraine have brought intense scrutiny to SpaceX’s satellite networks, both its commercial Starlink service and Starshield, the military-grade system built for the Pentagon.

However, there is a difference between Starklink and Starshield. The former one is SpaceX’S commercial network providing broadband internet to civilian, enterprise and standard user terminals globally.

The latter one is a dedicated SpaceX business unit and satellite network designed specifically for military, government, and intelligence customers. Unlike Starlink, its operational control and ownership come under military and US administration command.