SpaceX chief Elon Musk said on X that he was not involved in the decision to restrict Starlink terminals in Ukraine.
According to Musk, Starlink and Starshield are separate services with different functions and chains of control. He said Starshield is operated under the U.S. government, while decisions on restrictions are made by the Pentagon and U. S. President Donald Trump.
Musk also stressed that Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. He said its use is limited to civilian or defensive purposes and does not extend to offensive military operations, which he described as incompatible with the role of a commercial company.
CNN had earlier reported that Ukrainian troops learned about the reduction in terminal speed only after contacting SpaceX technical support. According to the network, the company had not issued any advance warning.
Vladimir Zelensky later called the shutdown of satellite internet over Ukraine a mistake and said Kiev had asked Musk to restore the service.
For now, SpaceX continues to restrict Starlink terminals moving at speeds above 160 km/h in Ukraine.