»Wall Street Journal«: Musk ukazal upočasnitev »Starlinka« za Kijev

Elon Musk je ukazal upočasnitev vojaške različice »Starlinka«, ki jo uporablja Ukrajina, kar je povzročilo paniko v Kijevu in zmedo v Trumpovi administraciji, poroča Wall Street Journal, ki se sklicuje na neimenovane uradnike in vire.

@WSJ Only the US Gov can control Starshield, for obvious reasons, which is what Ukraine is using for military applications. Starlink is civilian internet service. https://t.co/D1azqDKFYE

— Rok (@invertedape11) October 20, 2026

»Starlink« se je upočasnil po pogostih kritikah tako ameriškega predsednika Donalda Trumpa kot milijarderja in podjetnika Muska ter pozivih Bele hiše Kijevu, naj preneha z napadi na ruske rafinerije.

Toda zadevni pozivi Washingtona so naleteli na »gluha ušesa« v Kijevu.

Po navedbah virov časnika je Musk zato prejšnji teden omejil hitrost, s katero se lahko ukrajinska oprema poveže s satelitskim omrežjem, zaradi česar so nekateri kijevski napadalni in prestrezovalni brezpilotni letalniki postali praktično neuporabni.

The Pentagon has covertly throttled Starshield military terminals in Ukraine. A European alternative will not be available anytime soon. The White House and Elon Musk reached an informal decision to limit the operating speed of Starshield military terminals to 161 km/h—a move that effectively blinded Ukraine’s latest interceptor drones all along the front line. On October 17, Zelenskyy described this U.S.-imposed change as a "planned operation." Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, and the White House administration deny any involvement in the disruption. "I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t intentional. We had nothing to do with it. The United States did not order a slowdown of Starlink. It just sort of happened on its own. But as far as I understand, everything has been restored. It’s back to the way it was before," stated U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The quote suggests that neither the White House nor the Pentagon imposed deliberate restrictions on Ukraine. The drop in speed to 161 km/h was the result of SpaceX’s own internal technical algorithms—specifically, geofencing and safeguards designed to prevent the use of commercial terminals for military purposes at high speeds. The American diplomat implies that this is a dispute between Kyiv and Elon Musk, in which the U.S. government played no part, and that the issue has since been resolved, with speeds restored. However, Rubio went on to note that Ukraine has sought access to U.S. military communications—a capability to which it has never had access. Rubio draws a sharp distinction between Starlink and Starshield—both developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX—classifying them as two separate products. Starshield is a fully isolated, classified satellite network built by SpaceX specifically for the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community. It features robust anti-jamming capabilities and is integrated into the command-and-control systems for U.S. nuclear and precision-guided weaponry. Starlink, by contrast, is a commercial, civilian network; Kyiv acquires its terminals either through direct purchase or via charitable foundations and volunteer organizations, both within Ukraine and abroad. The U.S. does not object to the use of this network "for defense" purposes, though SpaceX itself sets the terms of use. The architectural link between the two systems stems from the fact that the specialized military Starshield framework is deployed directly atop the existing commercial Starlink low-Earth orbit constellation. The U.S. Department of Defense does not maintain a separate, standalone satellite architecture for Starshield in orbit; rather, the system functions as a cryptographically secured digital gateway—isolated in terms of both hardware and software—within the broader civilian telecommunications network. Rubio attempts to frame the situation as if Kyiv never had access to this military-grade product, a narrative intended to provide a legal justification for the U.S. to block high-speed terminals in the conflict zone at any given moment. However, internal Pentagon leaks and statements by Elon Musk indicate that Kyiv did, in fact, previously have access to Starshield. Ukraine gained unofficial access to Starshield during the administration of Joseph Biden. In September 2023, the Pentagon signed an official contract with SpaceX to procure Starshield services. At the time, the White House was seeking a way to bypass Elon Musk, who had repeatedly threatened to cut off connectivity for the Ukrainian Armed Forces—citing either non-payment or fears of a potential nuclear war. The Biden administration funded this contract through the U.S. defense budget, providing the Ukrainian military with secure, resilient communication gateways that operated without any speed restrictions. Ukraine is also counting on support from its European allies through Govsatcom—the EU’s existing government satellite communications system—as well as the IRIS² project

— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) October 19, 2026

Domnevno sta se Musk in Trump o tem pogovarjala, preden je bila sprejeta odločitev o omejitvi hitrosti »Starshielda« (vojaške različice »Starlinka«).

Javne pritožbe in obtožbe Vladimirja Zelenskega so nato povzročile veliko zmedo glede tega, kdo je odredil upočasnitev, pa tudi sprožitev neformalne preiskave v Beli hiši, poroča »Wall Street Journal« (WSJ).

Viri časnika trdijo tudi, da so predstavniki SpaceX-a stopili v stik z uradniki Bele hiše z zahtevo, da se glede tega sprejme skupno stališče in sporočilo, da sta Muskovo podjetje in Trumpova administracija uskladila poteze, preden je Musk izdal ukaz.

 MUSK PERSONALLY ORDERED STARLINK RESTRICTIONS THAT HOBBLED UKRAINE’S DRONES — WSJ REPORT Elon Musk personally ordered restrictions on Starshield satellite communications that reportedly limited Ukrainian drones to around 160 km/h, undermining their ability to intercept Russian drones and missiles. According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk and Trump later discussed the decision by phone — reportedly furious with Ukraine over its strikes on Russian diesel refineries.  One decision. Critical battlefield consequences.

— Jack Straw (@JackStr42679640) October 21, 2026

Nekaj ​​ur po tem, ko je novica o upočasnitvi postala javna, je Musk sam na omrežju X zapisal: »O vseh omejitvah hitrosti ali uporabe odloča ameriška vojska in na koncu predsednik ZDA.«

Trump je namreč v ponedeljek novinarjem povedal, da ne ve, kdo je odgovoren za upočasnitev »Starlinka«.

In dodal: »Vendar bi rad izvedel.«

@BowesChay https://t.co/CB8K5QyYnG

— Bg G (@9bb2e5c43a21469) October 16, 2026

Nekateri ameriški uradniki trdijo, da je Musk deloval neodvisno in da Trump ni izdal posebnega ukaza za povračilne ukrepe proti Ukrajini.

Vendar pa je en vir za WSJ povedal, da se je Musk pred uvedbo nove omejitve hitrosti pogovarjal z več visokimi uradniki administracije, vključno s Trumpom.

Glede na trditve ​​ukrajinskih uradnikov je prav ta omejitev ruskim raketam omogočila, da so se izognile ukrajinski obrambi.

TRUMP IS NEGOTIATING WITH RUSSIA, AND ZELENSKY IS LOSING HIS SEAT AT THE TABLE Trump is now making his position clear: he wants a peace deal with Russia, and he will not impose measures that could push Moscow away from negotiations. He points out Zelensky’s attacks on Russian diesel refineries are raising global fuel costs and prolonging the war. So Trump has paused new sanctions and reopened a path for Russian diesel to reach world markets. The White House calls that leverage. Russia gets market access if it reduces the fighting, accepts an energy ceasefire, or comes to the table. But Kyiv sees it differently. Ukraine faces Patriot shortages, Starlink restrictions, and weaker defenses. Russia, meanwhile, is being offered sanctions relief. Zelensky says Ukraine is ready to negotiate anywhere, in any format. Yet after accusing Trump of admiring autocrats and calling him a “killer,” he has made an already damaged relationship harder to repair. The deal now taking shape includes Russian diesel sales, potential gas exports to Europe, pipeline talks, frozen Russian assets, and possible relief for the “shadow fleet.” Europe has pushed back on parts of the plan. Washington appears determined to continue anyway. JD Vance has described Putin as calm, deliberate, and focused on Russia’s interests. A potential Trump-Putin-Xi meeting could discuss Ukraine’s future, with Zelensky outside the room. Europe says it stands with Ukraine while still buying Russian energy. Zelensky is asking for more money and weapons, but the mood is shifting. Even MAGA is split. Laura Loomer warns Putin will not stop at Ukraine. Others, including DC Draino, Mike Cernovich, Ian Miles Cheong, and Catturd, argue peace will not come until Zelensky leaves. Washington is talking to Moscow. Kyiv is trying to stay in the conversation. The question remains whether Trump has already decided to move the deal forward without Zelensky.

— Ben Swann (@BenSwann_) October 20, 2026

V sredo je državni sekretar Marco Rubio dejal, da Trumpova administracija ni zahtevala nobene omejitve hitrosti sistema »Starlink«.

»O tem ni bilo predhodnih informacij,« je Rubio povedal novinarjem med obiskom Indije.

Marco Rubio on Ukraine: Trump has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk. That's a private company. Trump doesn't run that company and can't direct that company to do anything. https://t.co/9Rv2koMF9W

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 21, 2026

Upočasnitev sistema, ki se je začela 14. oktobra, je sledila seriji pozivov Trumpove administracije Ukrajini, naj preneha z napadi na ruske energetske objekte.

Upočasnitev sistema »Starlink« in prekinitev posredovanja obveščevalnih podatkov Kijevu sta zaostrila odnose med ZDA in Ukrajino ter hkrati pokazala edinstven vpliv, ki ga ima Musk na potek vojne, saj »Starlink« predstavlja ključno linijo podpore ukrajinskim silam.

@sentdefender The company is private, but in military matters it answers to the government. https://t.co/6UM9CAPoCr

— PieroDC (@GeographerDC) October 20, 2026

Zdi se, da ima Musk z enim samim pritiskom na stikalo moč spremeniti potek konflikta, sklene »Wall Street Journal«.