Obsidian Risk Advisors' Managing Principal, Brett Erickson, thinks that the reported disruption of Ukrainian drones via the Starshield system could be President Donald Trump's way to deter President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from targeting Russian energy infrastructure.

Erickson Says Musk Is Shifting Blame for Starshield Disruption to Trump

In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Erickson shared a screengrab of Musk's response to a Ukrainian official who urged the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX) CEO to ensure there were no disruptions to the Starshield service, which Musk said was controlled by the White House.

"Elon is now blaming Trump for the slowdown of Starlink in Ukraine," Erickson said. He added that "many expect" that this was a move "taken by Trump to pressure Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure," pointing to surging gasoline and diesel prices in the U.S.

NEW: Elon is now blaming Trump for the slowdown of Starlink in Ukraine.

Many expect that this is a move being taken by Trump to pressure Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure as gasoline and diesel prices are near all time highs. pic.twitter.com/wayxHIIvT6

— Brett Erickson (@BrettErickson28) October 14, 2026

On the other hand, Zelenskyy, during an interview with The Financial Times in London on Wednesday, said that Ukraine will begin targeting Russian energy infrastructure again, slamming the slowing down of the Starlink system across the country, as well as Trump's purported admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He also alleged that the Ukrainian officials were told by their U.S. counterparts that they could lose access to intelligence if strikes on Russia were not stopped. "The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We're done," Zelenskyy said in the interview.

Anthony Scaramucci Defends Musk

Skybridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, following Musk's comments, defended the trillionaire, saying that the Starshield system was controlled by the U.S. military and that any questions regarding disruptions in the system should be addressed to the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also urged Musk to not disrupt Starlink connectivity in Ukraine as the Russia-Ukraine war intensifies.