Kyiv reports a deliberate-looking cap

Ukraine says speed limits on Starlink are still making it harder for its military to fight off Russian drones after a surprise slowdown on the network. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that limits on Starshield, the military version of Starlink Ukraine says its forces use, look deliberate rather than technical.

The network has been partly restored, but Zelensky said a cap of about 160km/h remains in place.

Three answers from Washington

The question of who ordered the restrictions has produced three different accounts. Reuters sources reported that an order to slow down the network came from inside the White House. Musk wrote on his platform that the US government owns and controls the system, and that decisions on its use rest with the military and ultimately the president.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday: "It wasn't me". He added that he did not think it was Musk and that, from what he understood, the service was the same as it had always been.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called claims that the government ordered restrictions "categorically false" late on Saturday. He denied any White House role: "No one at the White House ordered anyone to slow down the internet or slow down speed so that certain drones couldn't use it."

The Starshield dispute

Rubio also said Ukraine has no access to the military version of the network. "Starshield is a totally different product... It has nothing to do with Ukraine. I know Ukraine wants access to Starshield," he said.

That statement conflicts with reports that Ukrainian forces have long used both Starlink and Starshield.

When the unexpected restrictions were reported earlier in the week, the dispute drew in others:

• •Poland's foreign minister accused SpaceX CEO Elon Musk of "playing politics".
• •Musk pointed to US government ownership and control of the system.

Kyiv pushes for an investigation

Olena Tregub, founder and Secretary General of NAKO, Ukraine's Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, said the Trump administration would not openly acknowledge cutting intelligence and Starlink connectivity to Ukrainians. She said such cuts would carry huge risks for Trump, with elections coming in November, because losing both the House and the Senate could make impeachment possible.

Tregub argued the restrictions need scrutiny, since any cuts would likely be dismissed as a temporary glitch. "it's very important to investigate what's really happening," she said.

The slowdown comes as relations between Kyiv and Washington sour, and as Musk remains close to the administration. Ukraine continues its investigation into the network slowdown, and the cap of about 160km/h remains in place according to Zelensky.