Washington DC, Oct. 15 -- Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk in facing intense scruitiny as his satellite communication network, SpaceX, finds itself at the center of an escalating international backlash, following reports of restrictions on satellite communications services in Ukraine amid continued Russian strikes, triggering criticism from US lawmakers and renewed questions over the power of private technology companies to influence the course of a war.

As Ukraine grapples with the reported disruption of Starlink and Starshield connectivity, Musk has defended the distinction between the two systems, arguing that Starshield is controlled by the US government and that Starlink, a commercial service operated by SpaceX, cannot be used for o...