The restriction meant that Ukrainian drones - both offensive and defensive - lost connectivity when traveling above a certain speed and essentially became useless.
According to two sources who spoke to the WSJ, US President Donald Trump was informed only after the restriction became public. However, another source said that tech entrepreneur Musk and Trump had discussed the matter beforehand.
The newspaper’s reporting stands in stark contrast to what Musk himself wrote on the social media platform X shortly after the restriction became known: "Any restrictions on speed or use are decided by the US military and, by extension, the president."
Ukraine has said that the restrictions, which were reportedly imposed on October 14, have allowed Russian attacks to slip through its defenses.
The cutoff occurred after Trump struck a diesel deal with Russia and launched a renewed attack on Zelenskyy. Trump is demanding that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries, a demand Kyiv has been open to accepting as long as Russia simultaneously stops attacking Ukrainian energy facilities. That has not happened so far.