Elon Musk throttled Ukraine's use of Starlink and Starshield following Russia's invasion.
Posted by The MeidasTouch Podcast, Checked
- Sources
- 2 contradict4 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The MeidasTouch PodcastOct 27, 2026
Sources support that Musk's SpaceX throttled Ukraine's Starlink service in October 2026, years after Russia's invasion, and that Musk later admitted being behind the restriction. However, the sources contradict the claim's inclusion of Starshield: BBC reports Musk denied responsibility for the Starshield issue, and Reuters reports neither Musk nor the US government took responsibility for the Starshield curbs.
What was said
… They make an absolute killing, and they crush it. They make a fortune for what they did with X because it's folded into SpaceX. Then they wield SpaceX for actual global world domination, and I'm not saying that like, like, super-villain crap, by throttling Ukraine's use of Starlink and Starshield after Russia's invasion. And so I just want to tie this all together to explain the deeper situation of what's actually happening. Again, by the way, you know those so-called Trump accounts, right? …
The MeidasTouch Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. BBC reports Musk denied being responsible for the simultaneous issue with Starshield, which is the military-grade counterpart, undercutting the claim that Musk throttled Starshield.[3]
Contradicts. Reuters reports that neither Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield, had taken responsibility for imposing the Starshield curbs.[1]
Supports. Musk said on X that SpaceX had throttled Starlink service in Ukraine, and he confirmed the speed restriction after Ukraine said service was restored.[2][5][6]
Supports. CBS News reports SpaceX throttled Ukraine's access to Starlink, and the restrictions began after Russia's ongoing attacks, so the timing after the invasion is consistent with the sources.[4]
Context. Ukrainian officials and adviser Serhii Beskrestnov disputed Musk's justification that Ukraine violated Starlink terms of service, calling the claim physically impossible.[7][8]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 1, 2 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Ukraine says Starshield back to normal, Musk says Kyiv violated termsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2Ukraine restores full satellite links for its drones | AP Newsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Musk says SpaceX restricted Ukraine's Starlink connection ...bbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: contradicts
- 4Photos show Ukraine's Starlink was throttled during ...cbsnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Elon Musk says he was behind throttling of Starlink in ...eastbaytimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Elon Musk restricted Ukraine’s Starlink access after military ‘violated’ termsindependent.co.uk · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Ukraine disputes Elon Musk's claim that its military violated ...pbs.org · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 8Ukraine disputes Musk claim that military violated Starlink termscnbc.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine.True
- SpaceX limited its military-grade version of Starlink satellite services to Ukrainians on the battlefield.Mixed
- The Ukrainian army experienced a slowdown of the Starshield satellite system for over a week.True
- Starlink satellite service in Ukraine was slowed down by someone throwing a switch.True
- Elon Musk and Donald Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public.Can’t tell