Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications service used by Ukraine, potentially disrupting the country's battlefield operations, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter, that Musk had ordered restrictions on the Starshield service last week, affecting Ukrainian military communications and drone operations.
Ukraine relies heavily on SpaceX's satellite network to maintain communications between military units and operate unmanned systems on the battlefield.
According to the report, restrictions on the service hampered Ukrainian attack drone missions and air defence operations against Russian forces.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the newspaper's findings. Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The report also revealed that Musk and US President Donald Trump discussed the Starlink decision during a telephone conversation shortly after the slowdown became public, while Trump was campaigning last week.
According to the newspaper, the two had also discussed the matter before the restrictions were introduced.
Reuters had previously reported, citing its own sources, that the instruction to limit the satellite service originated within the White House.
Trump denied personal responsibility for Ukraine's loss of access to Starlink last week, saying he did not believe either he or Musk was behind the disruption.
Musk, meanwhile, maintained that decisions concerning service restrictions were made by the US military or the president.
The controversy comes amid deteriorating relations between Washington and Kyiv following Trump's decision to authorise purchases of Russian diesel and waive additional sanctions targeting Moscow.
The US president has also criticised Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries and called for Ukrainians to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy, who travelled to Oslo in an effort to improve relations with Washington, confirmed on Tuesday that he had discussed the satellite communications issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
According to the Ukrainian president, the conversation addressed several matters, including "the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored".
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, denied that Washington had withdrawn Ukraine's access to the satellite communications network.
Speaking on Tuesday, Hegseth suggested that the dispute concerned the terms of service governing Ukraine's use of the system, indicating that Kyiv was required to comply with existing conditions.
The conflicting accounts have left uncertainty over who authorised the restrictions and under what circumstances Ukraine's military access could be fully restored.
The reported disruption highlights Ukraine's dependence on satellite communications technology for battlefield coordination and drone operations as its war with Russia continues.