SpaceX throttled Ukraine's Starlink service over military use dispute

SpaceX slowed down its Starlink satellite service in Ukraine on October 14, disrupting military operations for about ten days. The speed limits cut the connection for drones flying faster than 100 mph. Service returned on October 24.

Elon Musk, who owns SpaceX, said Ukraine broke Starlink's rules by using the civilian system to attack targets with drones. He said SpaceX closed a gap that had allowed this kind of military use.

Starlink is a commercial internet network. Starshield is a separate military system that the U.S. government controls. Musk said switching Starlink off completely would cause Ukraine's front line to collapse.