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WASHINGTON — Tech titan Elon Musk on Wednesday indicated the Trump administration, not SpaceX, caused the throttling of a military version of Starlink in Ukraine that set off panic in the war-torn country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the slowdown of Starshield, a military offshoot of Starlink, would cost lives by limiting its ability to fend off Russian invaders.
Initially, Ukrainian and European officials blamed Musk.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” Musk said hours after a firestorm over the throttling erupted. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
“Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX,” he added. “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.”
Ukraine has relied heavily on its access to Starshield to carry out its drone attacks and logistical operations to fend off the Russians. The Ukrainians had noticed connectivity was getting throttled in drones cruising at speeds of 160 km/h or more.
By 2 pm ET, Ukraine’s defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, announced that “connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h is being restored.”
“Removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense,” Fedorov added. “Thank you, @elonmusk. We hope for your continued support.”
The snafu had undermined multiple active operations against the Russians, according to Ukrainian officials.
“It’s a big mistake,” Zelensky told “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Wednesday. “People will die.”
The slowdown came as President Trump and his team faulted Ukraine for giving him midterm headaches over high diesel prices through its strikes on Russian refineries.
On Tuesday, Russia carried out a barrage of attacks against Ukraine, including a ballistic missile attack without warning from the US for the second night in a row, according to the Ukrainians.
In the past, the US shared intelligence warnings with Ukraine.
“The Pentagon, through Space Force, contracts with SpaceX for Starshield services, giving the department a direct role in administering the government’s agreements with the company,” a Ukrainian source familiar with the matter told The Post about the slowdown.
“But the existence of a Pentagon contract does not establish whether the military or SpaceX has authority over specific operational restrictions, including the new speed limit.”
The Post contacted the White House and Pentagon for comment.