Top Ukrainian officials erupted with outrage after their soldiers allegedly faced throttled Starlink access without warning in the middle of operations, as President Trump has pressured Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries.
Page A212From§Eachthe morning edition — 14 October 2026
THE THROTTLE
The contractor planning the Pentagon's future of warfare imposes a 100 mph speed limit on Ukraine's air defense
One hundred miles an hour. Above that speed Ukraine's military terminals are throttled. Throttled, mind you, not cut — a limit is a thing one may lift on Thursday and set again on Friday. Hold the figure. Ukraine's army does not own those terminals and was never sold them; SpaceX distributes and manages them, the Pentagon funds the programme, and a licence is not a lease: permission, revocable, binding the grantor to nothing. You will want Tuesday evening to be a failure. It was not. On September 30 Hegseth seated Musk on the taskforce planning the future of warfare; on October 3 the Pentagon moved troops into the hemisphere where it claims thirty-five percent of the oil. Then Tuesday: speed limits imposed without warning, combat missions failed, drone operations cancelled, air defence degraded, while Russian missiles cut power to six hundred thousand people in Kyiv and killed six. Someone will say this is unprecedented. September 2023: Ukraine accused Musk of allowing Russian forces to attack after Starlink dropped connectivity near Crimea with drones approaching. Three years ... and the record carries no term added since to forbid the second. Musk was Trump's largest donor of the 2024 campaign and has spent at least $276 million since July on Republican congressional majorities. Kyiv's air defence runs on a permission.
The horse was lent for the ploughing. The reins, the owner kept.
“They tell you there is no money for anything, and then one guy spends $276 million since July to hold a congressional majority and gets handed the dial on an ally's air defense two weeks after the Pentagon seats him on its war-planning taskforce. Nobody broke a rule here, and that is the part that should keep you up — there is no contract line saying he cannot do it again, and when it happened in 2023 nobody wrote one then either. Six people are dead in Kyiv and 600,000 are sitting in the dark while a vendor decides how fast their terminals go.”
“Look, nobody cut anybody off — there are speed thresholds on hardware, that is an engineering parameter, and Ukraine was never promised unlimited... did I say promised? There is no contract term, which is precisely why this is a non-story. The political spending is lawful and disclosed and entirely separate from the taskforce, which is advisory, and I would say the same if it were a Democrat, which it is not, so.”
Earlier in this story
- Pentagon breach headline reads "over 3 million," the story beneath it still counts 2.76 million. By Mitch · the evening edition, 12 October 2026
- Record $276 million donation and $400 million Republican edge clear every campaign finance rule on the books By Sterling · the afternoon edition, 12 October 2026
- Coalition invokes decades-old ownership limit to stop consolidation; FCC repeals the limit, 2-1 By The Wrecking Crew · the afternoon edition, 10 October 2026
- FCC repeals media ownership limits 2-1 while ABC quietly thins the report on Pentagon contracts for Trump's sons. By The Wrecking Crew · the morning edition, 10 October 2026
- Taxpayers to receive 40 percent stake in the $6.6bn shipyard they are funding; Republican donor's firm owns it By Sterling · the midnight edition, 7 October 2026
- Appeals court to decide fate of rollback signed by the secretary who doubted the deaths were real By Ruth · the early evening edition, 5 October 2026
The receipts
The Trump administration may have withheld intelligence warnings to Ukraine about Russian strikes that killed 6 and cut power to 600,000 people, sources say.
For years, Ukraine’s armed forces have relied on satellite communication services developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Recent restrictions have hampered its war effort.
The Ukrainian government on Tuesday night said that its access to the SpaceX-owned Starlink satellite internet service was throttled, prompting critics to question the wisdom of depending on any company owned by far-right billionaire Elon Musk. According to a Wednesday report in The New York Times, Ukrainian officials suspect that orders…
Ukrainian officials said speed limits were imposed on military-grade Starlink terminals without warning, disrupting military missions and forcing the cancellation of some drone operations. Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on defense technology, said the restrictions apply to Starshield, SpaceX’s…
Ukraine has accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of disrupting its military operations by limiting Starlink internet services, as the country reeled from a pair of intense Russian missile attacks that it said came without the usual advance warning from allies.
Launch of Russian ballistic missiles on Ukraine, with no US warning, coincides with outage of Starlink managed by Musk’s SpaceX Europe live – latest updates Ukraine’s military has suddenly had its access to Starlink satellite internet terminals restricted as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Ukraine to halt long-range…
A huge attack cut power to 600,000 people in Kyiv, and a Pentagon-funded satellite internet program appeared to be curbed without warning.
Ukraine is raising alarm that air defense operations are being impacted by unannounced limitations on SpaceX satellites. The disruption comes following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warning that President Trump has threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with the country. Limits on Starlink’s services in Ukraine occurred…
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· The Security Service of Ukraine says that it detained two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service who were planning an assassination of President V from the morgue, 7 May 2024
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· With Elon Musk’s Return to Washington, Possible Conflicts of Interest Resurface from the morgue, 3 Oct 2026
· Hegseth puts the future of warfare in the hands of major Maga donors from the morgue, 1 Oct 2026
· Pete Hegseth appoints Elon Musk to US taskforce on future of warfare from the morgue, 30 Sep 2026
· Elon Musk boosts GOP spending advantage with return as 2026 juggernaut from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
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· 'Trump Did It!': At $5.85 a Gallon, Diesel Price Hits All-Time High in US Thanks to War on Iran from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· States take matters into their own hands to curb record-high diesel prices from the morgue, 29 Sep 2026
· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go' from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Tillis renews calls for Hegseth’s firing after Driscoll’s departure: ‘I have never witnessed more inept management’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are "all just in survival mode" from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
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· Massie names Epstein 'coconspirators,' discusses new Epstein files legislation from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
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· Fake Republican midterm convention site still redirects to Epstein files from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision’ coming up on Iran: ‘Do I want to go in and annihilate them’ from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran recently downed at least 2 American drones, officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Big Oil Stocks Surged Due to Iran War—and New Filings Show How President Trump Cashed In from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Live updates: Energy secretary downplays rising gas prices as US, Iran trade strikes from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· U.S. Strike on Iranian School May Have Been War Crime, U.N. Report Says from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Inquiry Finds US Strike on Minab, Iran That Killed 123 Children Was War Crime from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN investigators conclude ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe certain US strikes in Iran were war crimes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Suspects US War Crimes in Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Condemned for 'War Crimes' After Bombing of Wedding Party in Iran from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· US investigating if missile hit Iranian wedding ceremony, killing 4 from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision coming up’ on Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· White House issues explosive response to UN-backed report claiming US committed war crimes against world’s No.1 sponsor of terror, Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Human rights experts: 'Reasonable grounds' to believe US committed war crimes with Iran strikes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Energy Consumers Have Spent $121 Billion Extra Since Trump Launched Iran War: Moody's from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran downed at least 2 American drones in recent days, U.S. officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel's rescue 'fictional' from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Consumer Burden of Trump Iran War Exceeds $100 Billion as Oil Prices Pass $100 a Barrel from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'A Serious and Alarming Threat': US Bombing, Blockade Deepen Iran Medical Crisis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Level in Months as US Faces 'Trump's Reckless Tariffs and War With Iran' from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Did Johnson Just Adjourn Congress for 7 Weeks to Avoid Massie's Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth? from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Massie saying Johnson is sending the House home early to prevent Hegseth impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· ‘You’re Elected to Fight and Kill the Other Side’: How Congress Lost Its Way from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Army combat veteran challenging Mike Lawler calls Hegseth national security 'hazard,' backs impeachment from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary says he 'couldn't serve' in Trump administration from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional' from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· House Republicans split over leaving Washington early for campaign trail from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Since 2025, Trump Made More Stock Trades Than All 535 Congress Members Combined from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Fossil Fuel Advertising Contracts Hit Record High as Big Oil Pockets Billions From Iran War from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· 'How are we gonna get through this?' Many Americans are struggling as prices rise from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Trump's Top Oil Stocks Have Made Him Up to $4.4 Million Richer During Iran War: Analysis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Gas prices reach Labor Day high amid Iran war from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Trump Hammered Over Iran War That Drove Gas Prices Above $4 Per Gallon Every Day in August for First Time Ever from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
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· Inflation held at 3.4% in August in consumer price index, creating tough choice for Warsh Fed from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· Warsh indicates Fed could raise rates to cool inflation from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· Key U.S. Bond Rate Near 20-Year High as Oil Prices Keep Climbing from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· 10-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2007, oil surges above $105 as Fed expected to hike interest rates from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
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· Benchmark mortgage rate hits highest mark in over a year from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Goldman Sachs warns oil prices could hit $120 as U.S. fuel costs surge from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Massie Moves to Force Impeachment Vote Against Hegseth, Citing Civilian Deaths from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· GOP Rep Thomas Massie introduces 8 articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Republican Rep. Massie moves to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth over Iran war from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Thomas Massie Forces Vote To Impeach Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Pete Hegseth Faces Growing Criticism as War With Iran Rolls On from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.