Link: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-starlink-drones-a3a0139dfc23365550306dd66fe43daa

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Elon Musk said on Saturday that his company SpaceX had throttled the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, disrupting operations that the country relies on to defend itself against Russia.

Musk’s admission on social media came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted front-line operations for more than a week.

Questions have persisted since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Musk-made satellite internet system that Kyiv has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.

“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that restoration began overnight and were sufficient by Saturday morning, improving front-line logistics and defense against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.

Business leaders have always had tremendous power, and I'm sure many on this board are aware of how American business leaders like Kennedy and Ford tried to influence wars past.

But still... holy fuck.

It's fortunate that Starlink-esque technology is being developed in other places, because this is a monopoly that need to be fucking gone if a single, unstable ketamine addict can unilaterally decide that he's going to hamstring a whole-ass country.

What's the likelyhood that it was still in fact trump, but he told musk to take the blame in return for some regulation or something to go away.

It's not zero, but Donald's focus is on the ballroom and his rallies, so it doesn't seem out of the question to me Musk acted unilaterally. I'm also fairly certain Musk doesn't expect any accountability, no matter what he does.

This isn't new though, that's what he said when it happened.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/14/ukraine-soldiers-combat-access-starlink-satellite-internet-restricted

Musk said that Starlink is not licensed to clients who are using weapons, and that the Ukrainian military was linked to a separate network called Starshield, which is operated by the US government. “This is not under SpaceX control,” Musk wrote.

I'm not going to look too hard for it but he also said (maybe on Twitter, I don't have an account so I can't look) that he was limiting access to starlink for projectiles going > 100 miles/hr.

It's still not clear to me what systems are using what network and if they knew about the restrictions.

Eta:

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2110445577184133456

I am likely mistaken about Musk saying speeds were limited so I struck that from my original comment.

That's good info, thank you.

Last I'd seen Donald and Elon were pointing the finger at each other and we didn't know definitively.

Flexing his power to show off and remind... someone? Everyone? That he holds such power.

And, no one will notice, outside of the few paying attention. And, by "no one" I mean the vast majority of people with their heads buried in their phones scrolling TikTok.

Jeez, yeah. TikTok. The Lindsay Clancy fandom has been a very stark reminder of why a TikTok ban would have been a good thing.

Did he ever say why? Not that it matters.

Probably some backroom blackmail with Ukraine regarding diesel.

Someone needs to tally up known deaths by these murderous fucks and the law needs to start arresting them.

Are there legal researchers naming these crimes? Think tanks and legal activists trying to get them on the books? We're being let down.

Musk is an idiot, economically speaking. We saw that when he fucked up Teslas reputation with DOGE. He wants to feel important, be part of important decisions, even if they do not make sense of all. Of course this leads to other nations seeking for alternatives to get independent of Musk. The moron in the white house allows for such Losers, because Losers get along with each other.

I wish we would.

Musk needs to be treated for what he is:

A scumbag war criminal.

Yet another galaxy brain move from Business Genius™. What better way to make it absolutely clear that you cannot rely on his flagship product for anything remotely mission critical.

💯% it's absolutely one of the big Reasons I'm seriously looking at meshtastic mesh core or Halow. And getting involved with Community networking here in the Kansas City area. The sooner the better. And even if it's not high bandwidth it's something.

That's great to hear.

I've also been encouraged to read about similar technology in the works in other countries plus pushes in various countries to repatriate their data and tech use away from US tech companies.

Officially because Ukraine uses it for killing and he doesn't like killing. That's comletely hypocritical as gutting USAID is estimated to result in hundred thousands of deaths, what's more than the total death number in the Ukraine war.

Unofficially because he has feelings for Putin and dictators in general?

Yes. Though it's not just US companies. though it's a traditionally large target for good reason. Anyone using any technology they don't have any real claim to or sovereignty over is a problem. China, US, etc etc etc.

Oh, people will notice. And they will make alternatives.

Fuck Musk

He's a moron. Ukraine uses Starlink purely defensively. When they signed the contract under Biden they made it so Starlink only works over Ukrainian territory and immediately gets shut down if it goes over the border. Shit it doesn't even work over occupied territory like Crimea. The Ukrainians use it for interceptor drones to defend from Russian missiles and drones.

I would like someone to calculate a number of casualties that resulted from him directly

Aspiring Legitimate Military Target Musk says he was behind Starlink speed restriction after service in Ukraine is restored

This is all getting confusing, and its on purpose, and the media doesnt help by not distinguishing starlink and starshield.

The latest as i understand it.

Starlink: commercial / consumer service. Must not be used to kill people. Cannot be used in Russia (its geofenced). Has speed (movement) limits.

Starshield: military version of starlink owned by US government, which can do whatever they want with it. There are no limits.

Musk is alleging that Ukraine somehow violated the terms of Starlink and were able to by pass the speed limits and geofence on it and used it as a weapon of war. He is also saying he did not alter starshield, only starlink.

Ukraine is saying fuck that we didnt break the terms on starlink, we've been using starshield for war purposes and Starshield was what got fucked up. We only use starlink for communication purposes as allowed.

Trump administration is saying we didn't alter starshield.

So clearly Musk or Trump is lying. Someone altered Starshield, and I very much doubt Ukraine hacked starlink to bypass restrictions when they could just use starshield.

Can't rely on selfish assholes to ever do good for humanity in the long run, so things like this should not be privately owned, or put how many redundant systems in orbit to compete, it's unsustainable and unhealthy to humanity.

Rarely has so much been owed by so many to one comment.

Business leaders have always had tremendous influence. This is a form of power that is usually borne out in lobbying/bribery.

This is a different form of power. Elon is literally calling the shots during an active war. This is more akin to a unelected Worldwide War Czar.

Never seen anyone try to drive established successful businesses into ground this hard. (Trump can bankrupt anything but that's Trump being Trump)

Tesla cars were coveted and now any new Tesla carries a fascist undercurrent.

Twitter was an ok ok platform and he spurred the entire fediverse (and bluesky) into overdrive.

Starlink was a monopoly and cruising to victory and now multiple countries have decided to compete and intentionally not sell it spectrum.

Yup. There was a period a couple of months ago where there was a new story about Musk's feckless incompetence every single day of the week, and I made a video about it. He gets a ton of bad press but it's rare for there to be a brand new story about how shitty he is every day of the week.

I hate that the only people who get time with him on camera are sycophants or playing the role of sycophants because it profits them. It would be so wonderful if journalists did their job and brought up his failed predictions every single time a camera is pointed his way.

Is it the same musk who claimed he's nothing to do with it, or there's another one?

The two I offered up in comparison, Ford and Kennedy, acted similarly, going rogue and trying to collaborate with Nazis. It's not without historical precedent.

Yes, Ford is the most common example that is known about. He and many other wealthy US industrialists gave material support to both the Nazi and Fascist Italy.

If during WWII Ford used his influence to change how the allied troops could fight, for example, finding a way to withhold needed parts during wartime to prevent an offensive. Then we would be getting closer.

No, there really hasn't been anything like this in the past.

You're misrepresenting my argument, but that's okay.

Have a nice Sunday.

I am having a conversation, you are making this needlessly confrontational.

TREASON

He picks those people. He's not going to talk to real journalists, and let the videos get out. He's the richest man on the planet, he gets to manipulate everyone and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

You're not wrong.

Just have to hope one day he goes down a k-hole that's way too deep and pulls a Matthew Perry.

Narcissists respecting each other's work