Elon Musk has suggested that the US government may be behind restrictions on the speed at which some of Ukraine’s weapons can travel and remain connected to SpaceX’s Starlink internet network. Starlink is a vital tool that allows kyiv to guide drones to Russian targets and also protect its own skies, but on Tuesday night Ukraine said unexpected new speed limits were disrupting its battlefield missions. An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed the restrictions were not a coincidence and were related to the latest tensions between kyiv and Washington. Musk said that Starshield, Starlink’s military-grade sister service, is controlled by the US government and that “any speed limits or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately by [the US president]”.Musk – writes in [a] huge technical problem. I don’t know, but we are asking… to change [it] “Starlink, owned by Musk’s SpaceX, restricted speed limits Tuesday night to 100 mph (160 km/h), meaning any weapon traveling faster lost network connectivity. It had been partially restored Wednesday night, former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov said. “Completely removing the Starshield speed limit is now critical for Ukraine’s defense,” he wrote on X, thanking Elon Musk and calling his “continued support.” About an hour later, Musk responded to that post, defending his company’s involvement “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any speed limits or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the President,” he wrote. Musk added that Starlink is for “civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military actions, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial enterprise.” kyiv, officials said, and hit communications and power facilities used by Ukraine’s military, said it was “one of the largest attacks” by Russia, and although “a significant portion of the drones were shot down” there were “also hits.” 600,000 people across Ukraine were left without power, and residents said they received no warning of the drones’ arrival before their attack. Zelensky’s advisor Serhiy Beskrestnov.
