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Starlink and Ukraine: the 2022 shutdown report, the October 2026 slowdown, and who had the switch

Reuters reported Musk ordered Starlink cut over parts of Ukraine in 2022 (SpaceX disputes it); in October 2026 Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield links were throttled for over a week until service returned October 24.

Event date: September 30, 2022 – October 25, 2026 Published: 2026-10-26 Last reviewed: 2026-10-26 Next review due: 2026-10-29 Revision: 1
People and organizations
Elon Musk, SpaceX, Donald Trump, Trump administration, United States Congress
Places
Ukraine, United States, Russia, Europe, Canada
Evidence label
Reporting — Original reporting by an identified news organization that we opened and dated. Investigative findings are attributed to the outlet, not asserted as adjudicated fact. More
Research records
C030, C031, HCR20261021-05, HCR20261021-06, HCR20261021-07

What happened

Two separate episodes are at issue. The first is from 2022. Reuters reported on July 25, 2025, citing three people familiar with the order, that during Ukraine's counteroffensive in late September 2022 Musk told a senior SpaceX engineer to cut Starlink coverage in areas including Kherson, and that staff deactivated at least a hundred terminals [1]. Ukrainian officials told Reuters that soldiers lost communications and drones went dark, and that an attempted encirclement near Beryslav stalled [1]. A SpaceX spokesperson called the reporting "inaccurate" without specifying any errors, and Musk did not respond [1].

The second is this month. In mid-October 2026, Ukrainian officials said their access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink that is owned and operated by the US government, and to civilian Starlink had been restricted, with drone links cutting out above 161 kilometers per hour [6][5]. The restrictions lasted more than a week and disrupted Ukraine's defense against Russian missile and drone attacks [2]. On October 24, 2026, Ukraine said speeds had been restored, and Musk acknowledged that SpaceX had throttled civilian Starlink, saying Ukraine had violated its terms of service by using it for offensive drone strikes [2][6]. He said the US government, not SpaceX, controls Starshield [6].

Why it matters

Reuters reported on October 23, 2026 that both the Biden and Trump administrations had for years asked SpaceX to turn Starlink on or off in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran and Ukraine, showing how far US foreign policy relies on one private firm [3]. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on October 23 that recent civilian deaths in Ukraine were "direct casualties" of the reduced capability and that Canadians "do not want to be caught in a situation where we are reliant on one provider" [8]. Alternatives are thin: Amazon's Leo has about 390 satellites in orbit against more than 11,000 for Starlink, Eutelsat has more than 600, and the European Union's IRIS2 satellite system is not expected to begin launches until 2029 [7].

The evidence

Who ordered the October slowdown is contested. Reuters reported, citing two US officials, that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House; the Wall Street Journal reported on October 20 that Musk personally ordered it [4][8]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on October 21 that access is "governed by a private commercial contract," and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the day before that "Starlink has the option to make those decisions" [4]. Trump said he was not involved and did not know who did it, and later said he had told Musk to "put it back" [4][6].

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who co-chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, said on October 20, "We got to call the witnesses, got to bring them in, put them under oath," and said that if Musk ordered the Starshield slowdown "that is likely a violation of the law" because no civilian should have authority over a military system [5][4]. Senator John Cornyn called the slowdown "frankly shameful" and doubted Musk acted without "at least the acquiescence of the White House" [4].

Response and counterpoints

Musk wrote on October 21, in response to reporting on possible congressional probes, "Live by the sword, die by the sword," adding that he would "find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them" [9]. He later said SpaceX had "done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth" [6]. Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov disputed the terms-of-service claim, saying civilian Starlink in Ukraine has long been capped at 70 to 90 kilometers per hour and does not work inside Russia, so it "physically cannot" be used for deep strikes [2].

What remains uncertain

For the 2022 episode, Reuters could not determine exactly when the order was given, what prompted it, or how long the outage lasted, and SpaceX disputes the account [1]. The published details rest on anonymous sources [1]. For October 2026, there is no public record establishing who ordered the Starshield restriction; Reuters' sourcing points to the White House and the Journal's to Musk, and the administration has acknowledged the slowdown without saying whether it gave the order [3][4]. Musk's admission covers civilian Starlink only [6]. The earlier US requests described by Reuters come from anonymous former officials and show a pattern of reliance, not evidence that any particular change was improper [3]. Whether Congress opens a formal investigation depends on the House returning after the November election [5].

Money and method

No dollar figures are central to this story. The relevant quantities are operational: at least a hundred terminals reportedly deactivated in 2022 [1]; a speed cutoff of about 161 kilometers per hour during the October 2026 restrictions, versus more than 400 kilometers per hour after restoration [6]; and constellation sizes of more than 11,000 Starlink satellites against 390 for Amazon Leo and more than 600 for Eutelsat [7]. All are as reported on the dates cited.

Sources cited

  1. [1]
    Starlink shutdown during 2022 Ukrainian counteroffensive — Reuters, 2025-07-25.
    supports · Special report, paragraphs 1-12 (three people familiar; order to engineer Michael Nicolls to cut coverage including Kherson; at least a hundred terminals deactivated; one source dated it Sept 30, 2022; SpaceX spokesperson called reporting 'inaccurate'; Musk's March 2025 post 'We would never do such a thing') · checked 2026-10-26 · source S037
  2. [2]
    Ukraine disputes Starlink justification — Associated Press, 2026-10-25.
    supports · Paragraphs 1-10 (Beskrestnov disputes Musk's terms-of-service claim; civilian Starlink speed cap 70-90 km/h in Ukraine and no service in Russia; Starshield speed caps lifted Saturday Oct 24; Musk's Saturday posts; Trump says he did not make the call) · checked 2026-10-26 · source S038
  3. [3]
    Government requests to alter Starlink service — Reuters, 2026-10-24.
    supports · Paragraphs 1-12 (six former senior US officials; Biden and Trump administrations asked SpaceX to switch Starlink on or off in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran and Ukraine; Reuters earlier reported throttle order came from inside the White House; administration acknowledged slowdown but has not said whether it gave the order; Trump's 'I'll get it straightened out') · checked 2026-10-26 · source S066