Elon Musk Ordered Starlink Shutoff During Ukraine Offensive, Disrupting Frontline Ops: Report

Last Updated:July 25, 2025, 18:53 IST

Elon Musk shut down Starlink in frontline areas during Ukraine's September 2022 counteroffensive due to fears of Russian nuclear retaliation.

A file photo of Elon Musk (AP)

Elon Musk personally ordered a shutdown of Starlink coverage in key frontline regions during a critical phase of Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces in late September 2022, Reuters reported. Owing to the closure, battlefield operations were majorly impacted as hundreds of terminals in regions including Kherson and parts of Donetsk were deactivated.

Elon Musk’s directive, relayed to a senior engineer at SpaceX, caused a communications blackout that affected Ukrainian drone operations, artillery targeting and frontline coordination.

Communications Collapse In Kherson

Ukrainian military officials and advisors told Reuters that the blackout crippled their efforts to encircle Russian forces in the town of Beryslav. One official said, “The encirclement stalled entirely. It failed." Drones went dark, artillery units lost targeting data and front-line troops struggled to communicate but Ukraine eventually reclaimed Beryslav and Kherson city.

A Personal Decision Based On Nuclear Fears

Three sources familiar with Elon Musk’s decision said, as per the report, that it stemmed from his concerns that a Ukrainian advance could provoke nuclear retaliation from Moscow. The exact timing of the order is unclear but the outage reportedly began around September 30, 2022- just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons if Russia’s territorial integrity was compromised. The move alarmed officials in Kyiv and Washington, who had worked to secure Starlink access for Ukraine’s military after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Starlink’s Growing Strategic Influence

Starlink has become essential to Ukraine’s battlefield operations, from drone piloting to secure communications. With more than 50,000 terminals in Ukraine- half of them provided by Poland- the system has enabled Ukraine’s military to maintain connectivity across vast areas.

Starlink, now the world’s largest satellite network with over 7,900 satellites, is expected to generate nearly $10 billion in revenue this year- making up 60% of SpaceX’s income. Yet the entire system remains under Elon Musk’s private control, with no clear international mechanism to regulate its use in conflicts.

Elon Musk has repeatedly acknowledged Starlink’s critical role in Ukraine’s defense. He earlier said, “My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off."

Location :

Ukraine

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News world Elon Musk Ordered Starlink Shutoff During Ukraine Offensive, Disrupting Frontline Ops: Report