SpaceX investor “disgusted” with Elon Musk over Starlink limitations in Ukraine
“Strategically horrendous.”
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- SpaceX investor Ross Gerber criticized Elon Musk over reported Starshield restrictions in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian officials said the slowdown affected terminals moving at 100mph or faster.
- Reports say the limits hampered Ukrainian communications, strikes, and drone defense systems.
- Musk, Trump, and reports cited by media differ over who ordered the restrictions.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
SpaceX shareholder Ross Gerber says the decision to impose restrictions on Starlink in Ukraine has given people a reason to believe that the service is unreliable for national security.
Gerber, a CEO at the wealth management firm Gerber Kawasaki and an investor in Elon Musk’s SpaceX, harshly criticized the decision to impose restrictions on the use of the military-grade Starlink service Starshield in Ukraine.
“I’m disgusted with Elon Musk. I think that these decisions were strategically horrendous, and from a humanity perspective, just horrible,” Gerber said during his appearance on CNN.
He added that imposing restrictions on Starshield has given everybody a reason not to use Starlink.
“And that Starlink isn’t reliable for national security for anybody but Trump,” Gerber told CNN’s Jim Sciutto, according to the video he shared on X.
Ukrainian officials reported on October 13th, 2026, that Starshield stopped working on terminals moving at speeds of 100mph (160km/h) or greater.
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The restrictions reportedly hampered the Ukrainian military’s communications, striking capabilities, and air defense systems that intercept Russian drones.
Starshield develops military and intelligence satellite systems for the Pentagon and is separate from Starlink’s commercial broadband service. It relies on the vast network of over 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites launched by SpaceX.
The company says Starshield cannot be used for offensive operations, while Kyiv claims it doesn’t use the communications network for its strikes deep into Russia.
Who ordered the limits on Starshield?
The reports of Starshield restrictions triggered a backlash, sparking a blame game between Musk and the White House, as President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on Ukraine over its strikes on Russia’s oil refineries.
Musk insisted that the Pentagon and the White House are in charge of imposing limits on Starshield, while Trump denied any involvement in the decision.
Zelensky told NBC News on October 18th that the Ukrainian government and generals believe that the message to limit Starshield speed came from the US government, while SpaceX technically implemented the order.
The Wall Street Journal reports, citing anonymous sources, that Musk ordered the slowdown of Starshield and discussed the decision with Trump shortly after it became public.
Zelensky told Fox News on October 21st that Starshield's full speed hasn’t been restored, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed him that the slowdown will be unblocked.