Wadephul
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White House ordered Starshield restrictions for Ukraine, Reuters reports; Trump denies involvement
Reuters reported, citing two American and one Western official, that the White House ordered limits on SpaceX's Starshield satellite service for Ukraine's military, prompting SpaceX to unilaterally throttle terminals during the night of October 13–14. The restrictions disrupted Ukrainian drone operations, including Shahed interceptors, and were partially lifted within days. Trump publicly denied issuing or knowing of the order, while Elon Musk said Starshield is controlled by the US government. The incident came amid US pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and reported threats to withhold intelligence sharing.