In September 2022, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk ordered the Starlink satellite internet to be shut down on part of the southern front in Ukraine, specifically in the Kherson region. This occurred during the Ukrainian counteroffensive, when the military was de-occupying cities and villages in the region.
Reuters reports this, citing sources.
Engineers at SpaceX’s California offices complied, deactivating at least a hundred Starlink terminals, knocking out communications in critical areas. This disrupted drones and artillery that relied on satellite communications, and disrupted plans to encircle Russian forces in Beryslav.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces eventually regained control of Beryslav, but Elon Musk’s previously unreported order marked the first known instance of an American billionaire forcing Starlink coverage to be turned off over a battlefield during a war. The decision shocked some Starlink employees and effectively changed the front lines, allowing Musk to take “the outcome of the war into his own hands”. Meanwhile, in March 2025, Elon Musk wrote on his X social media page that “we would never do that”.
Some believe he did so out of fear that a successful Ukrainian offensive could provoke a nuclear escalation by Russia. Musk has publicly denied giving such an order, and SpaceX has called the information “inaccurate”.
This incident showed how much influence Elon Musk has in geopolitics and global security thanks to Starlink, a technology that provides connectivity even in the most remote corners of the world.
- Due to the strained relations between the US and Ukraine, European allies have begun to consider alternatives to Starlink. Four major satellite operators from Europe are already in talks with governments and EU institutions about a backup connection for Ukraine.
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