Elon Musk reportedly ordered SpaceX to throttle Ukraine's Starlink access.
In Brief Posted: 1:46 PM PDT · October 24, 2026 Image Credits: Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch Anthony Ha Starlink seems to be working normally again in Ukraine SpaceX appears to have lifted restrictions the Ukrainian military’s of use Starshield — the military-grade version of the company’s Starlink internet system. The Wall Street Journal reports that Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara told reporters that Starshield appears to be working normally again, although the military is still conducting tests and has not received an explanation for the restrictions. This follows a 10-day period where Ukrainian drones would lose internet connectivity when flying at speeds of around 100 miles per hour, resulting in the military losing control of some drones, while others became more vulnerable because they were flying more slowly. President Donald Trump reportedly called SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday and asked him to restore Starshield service. Both Trump and Musk have criticized Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, with Musk recently posting , “Zelensky has gone too far.” The WSJ previously reported that Musk ordered SpaceX to throttle Ukraine’s Starlink access, though some sources claimed he’d discussed it with the Trump administration first. Topics Donald Trump , Elon Musk , Government & Policy , Space , SpaceX , Starlink , ukraine November 4 Boston Buy One Pass, Get a Second Free Cover more ground at TechCrunch’s ultimate founder bootcamp of the year by bringing your co-founder or partner for free Book before the BOGO deal expires Register Now Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related Security Will AI expose the rickety infrastructure of the internet? Anthony Ha 31 minutes ago AI The AI graveyard: a running list of projects and startups that didn’t make it Lauren Forristal 2 hours ago AI Block’s new voice model sounds eerily human Ivan Mehta 5 hours ago Latest in Government & Policy In Brief Starlink seems to be working normally again in Ukraine Anthony Ha 8 seconds ago AI Forced to pick, Grok’s AI model chooses Republicans. OpenAI’s picks Democrats. Rebecca Bellan 6 hours ago Government & Policy Mark Zuckerberg’s creative plan to pay California’s proposed billionaire tax without losing control of Meta Lucas Ropek 2 days ago