Report: Musk ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, then blamed it on Trump
Musk and Trump both denied ordering Starlink slowdown.
Musk and Trump both denied ordering Starlink slowdown.
The short version
- Trump denied ordering the restrictions.
- While Musk may have spoken to Trump and administration officials before the decision, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Musk made the final call.
- The decision came after both Musk and Trump criticized Ukraine for attacking Russian diesel refineries.
What happened
“Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine, a decision that sparked panic in Kyiv and confusion inside the Trump administration,” the WSJ wrote, citing unnamed US officials and people familiar with the matter. In this case, “speed” refers to the flight speed of drones.
Why it matters
The restriction forced the drones to fly slower than usual, making it easier for Russian weapons to target or evade them,” the Associated Press wrote last week.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.