US lawmakers have called for an investigation into reports that Elon Musk ordered restrictions on Ukraine’s military Starlink service, warning that the billionaire’s influence over a critical wartime communications network could pose serious legal and national security questions.
Republican congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said any decision by Musk to slow the service should be examined by lawmakers, with witnesses called to testify under oath.
“If Elon Musk ordered Starlink to be slowed down in Ukraine, that is likely a violation of the law,” Fitzpatrick told CNN.
“We’ve got to investigate,” he added. “We’ve got to call the witnesses, got to bring them in, put them under oath, and get to the bottom of it. Because this is a very, very serious matter. It cannot be glossed over.”
Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren also called for an investigation, questioning whether one private individual could exercise undue influence over US foreign policy through control of a technology on which Ukraine’s military depends.
“We’d like to know exactly who is responsible for what happened,” she said. “If it is one man, Elon Musk, who is dictating our foreign policy, then he puts the US at enormous risk.”
The controversy follows media reports that Musk personally ordered a slowdown of Starlink’s military service in Ukraine, prompting concern in Kyiv and confusion within the administration of US President Donald Trump.
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Starlink, operated by Musk’s SpaceX, has become a vital communications tool for Ukrainian forces during their war against Russia, supporting communications and military operations where conventional infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
The reports have raised questions about the extent to which Ukraine’s wartime capabilities depend on services controlled by a private company, as well as the safeguards governing decisions that could affect operations on the battlefield.
US officials have insisted that Washington has issued no orders to restrict Starlink for Ukraine, leaving uncertainty over what happened and who, if anyone, authorised the reported restrictions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in recent days. Their discussions covered intelligence on Russian ballistic missiles, interceptor missiles and the restoration of Starlink.
The calls for an investigation highlight the growing geopolitical significance of privately owned technology infrastructure. For lawmakers, the central question is whether decisions affecting a US ally’s military operations were made lawfully — and whether sufficient accountability exists when a single company’s services become indispensable in wartime.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on 21 October, Rubio insisted: “The President has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr Musk.”
He described SpaceX as a private company, arguing that Washington could not dictate its commercial decisions, directly contradicting Musk’s own statement on 14 October, when he insisted that Starshield systems were owned and controlled by the US government and that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.
So which is it?
Reuters previously reported, citing American and Western officials, that the instruction to restrict Starshield originated inside the White House.
So who is telling the truth?
On 14 October, Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov, known as Flash, reported restrictions affecting satellite terminals travelling above approximately 160 kilometres per hour.
By 16 October, connectivity had reportedly returned, but speed restrictions remained.
My Ukrainian Military sources described continuing limitations affecting fixed-wing drones operating inside Ukrainian territory, including Russian-occupied areas. One operator reported restrictions around 120 kilometres per hour.
I was told: “We use Starlink for supporting infantry operations. For short-range operations up to 30 kilometres, Starlink should only work over Ukrainian territory; it is blocked over Russian territory.
“Our experience with using Starlink has only been in Ukraine; we are already limited by the 70 km on Starlink, and that’s also to stop Russian fixed-wing aircraft over Ukrainian territory.
“They have this programme called Starshield, this allows priority access to the internet, this allows you to fly a fix wing drone for striking enemy targets, in the mid-zone, up to 200Km from the zero.”
The military source added: “They are not used and cannot be used for deep strikes; another type of system is being used, such as pre-guided or even mesh-net stuff. In Crimea mesh-net is being used.”
Getting the connection back does not necessarily mean getting the full capability back.
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