SpaceX CEO Elon Musk deferred blame over reports that the company’s military-oriented Starshield satellite internet service was curbed in Ukraine, saying any limits on the service would have been imposed by the U.S. military rather than by his company.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” Musk wrote on X on Oct. 14. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
Ukrainian officials on Oct. 14 began raising the alarm that their military’s Starshield services were stymied overnight, leaving gaps in their defenses as they contended with a significant Russian missile and drone barrage. According to Ukrainian officials, about 600,000 Ukrainians were left without power after Russian forces struck energy infrastructure across the country in their overnight strikes….