Ukraine: SpaceX is throttling Starlink again amid war with Russia

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX ( SPCX ) is reportedly restricting speed for Starlink satellite internet terminals used by Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion of the country, the Wall Street Journal reported .

"I confirm that SpaceX implemented a speed limit for Starlink terminals operating in motion last night," said Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to WSJ. "Our defense forces received no warning about this restriction, and it has led to the disruption of a number of missions."

Starlink, essentially a global broadband internet service delivered from space, is a core part of SpaceX's business . There are more than 10 million Starlink subscribers worldwide, and SpaceX is now moving to challenge legacy wireless carriers.

Ukrainian military drone crews and logistics operations regularly leverage Starlink to provide video feeds and precise targeting. WSJ reports that "Ukraine relies on SpaceX's StarShield, a Starlink subscription designed for government and military use, for its battlefield operations."

This is not the first time Ukraine experienced Starlink throttling, though it would be the first since SpaceX became a public company this summer.

In 2022, as Ukraine retook territory from Russia, Elon Musk reportedly ordered SpaceX engineers to cut some Starlink coverage in contested areas of Ukraine. In 2023, the company acknowledged efforts to throttle Starlink usage during the war.

"There are things that we can do to limit their ability to [leverage Starlink]," Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, said at the time. "There are things that we can do, and have done."

Musk is an ally of President Trump, who has ramped up criticsm of Zelensky recently. Ukraine also bombed Russian data centers recently, disrupting bot traffic on Musk-owned X and other social media platforms.