Starlink limits hit Ukraine drones: who gave the order?

Republican lawmakers are calling for a congressional investigation into restrictions on SpaceX's Starlink service that Ukrainian officials say disrupted military operations against Russian troops.

Representative Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, told CBS News' Face the Nation that there needs to be a congressional investigation into what happened to technology Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications and drone operations. Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota separately backed an investigation, saying the disruption could have been a technical problem rather than a deliberate decision.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said nobody in the White House had ordered the slowdown and that it "sort of happened." Elon Musk said the US government, not SpaceX, was responsible, stating that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government and that limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the president.

Ukrainian officials said restrictions imposed without warning disrupted military operations. An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said services were limited for terminals travelling over 100mph overnight on Wednesday, affecting Ukraine's ability to launch drones.

The competing accounts leave a basic question unresolved: who, if anyone, ordered the restrictions. Rubio points away from the White House. Musk points to the US government and military. Cramer raises the possibility of a technical fault.

Ukraine depends on satellite communications for battlefield coordination and drone operations, so unexplained limits can have immediate military consequences. The dispute also raises unresolved questions about who controls Starshield — a private company or the US government — and whether Congress can get a straight answer.