Musk Shut Down Starlink to Stop Ukrainian Counteroffensive

Elon Musk allegedly turned off Starlink communications services during a key counteroffensive by Ukraine’s military in late September 2022. Musk told a senior SpaceX engineer to cut coverage in several areas, including Kherson.

His decision also impacted other areas seized by Russia, including part of Donetsk province further east. The loss of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite services caused a communications blackout for Ukrainian troops near the front lines. The signal loss impacted drones that were surveilling Russian forces and long-range artillery units, which relied on the service to direct their fire, according to the news agency.

According to a Ukrainian military official and a military advisor, troops were unable to encircle a Russian position in the town of Beryslav, east of Kherson. While Ukraine’s armed forces were eventually able to reclaim Beryslav, the city of Kherson, and some additional territory Russia had occupied, it was the first known instance of Musk shutting down Starlink over a battlefield. His decision may have been related to his concern that Russia would retaliate with nuclear weapons.