Ukraine said SpaceX, the US rocket and satellite company run by Elon Musk, restricted its Starlink satellite internet service on Wednesday, October 14, hampering the country’s attack and air-defence drone missions, according to The Globe and Mail. A Ukrainian defence ministry official and presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said the limits were applied overnight with no prior notice, the South Korean technology outlet 디지털투데이 reported, citing coverage including the IT site The Verge.
Key facts
- Beskrestnov said SpaceX imposed a speed limit of 160 km/h on military-grade terminals, The Globe and Mail reported; 디지털투데이 reported him saying access is restricted on equipment moving above 100 miles per hour.
- A Defence Ministry source told The Globe and Mail that military units reported guidance systems losing their connections at speeds of less than half that limit.
- Beskrestnov said the restriction affected Starshield, SpaceX’s military and intelligence service, according to The Globe and Mail.
- Musk wrote on the social-media platform X that “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS,” using the acronym for president of the United States, the same report said.
- The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to The Globe and Mail.
- Ukrainian defence ministry officials said difficulties arose in military operations, logistics support and drone strikes, 디지털투데이 reported.
Why it matters
Kyiv installs SpaceX receptors in many of its drones as part of their onboard guidance systems, and the terminals operate across Ukraine including in territory held by Russian forces, The Globe and Mail reported. The speed cutoff hampers Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian targets inside Ukraine, or to defend itself from Russian drones using its own interceptor drones, according to a Defence Ministry source and another military source cited in that report.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, asked about the restriction on the military version of Starlink, said: “It’s a big mistake. … This decision will bring a lot of human losses,” according to The Globe and Mail. The outlet said he did not say who was responsible.
Writing on Telegram after talks in London with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Zelensky said it was clear the Russians were trying to take advantage of the Starlink problems because the operation of interceptor drones largely depends on that connection, the same report said. It is a measure of how dependent Ukraine’s battlefield communications have become on the network: 디지털투데이 noted the military uses Starlink for battlefield communications and has carried out remote control and in-mission target changes using drones fitted with satellite terminals.
Who decided the limits
The two accounts of responsibility do not line up. Musk pointed to Washington, saying the US government controlled the system’s speeds, The Globe and Mail reported, noting Musk is a close political ally of US President Donald Trump.
Beskrestnov, by contrast, said the move was not a coincidence and was related to the current political situation, according to 디지털투데이. That outlet said controversy grew after Musk criticised Zelensky on X, telling him “You have gone too far” in response to Trump taking a negative view of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Ukraine was in contact with the company as well as the US government and NATO to seek clarification over the sudden limitations, the Defence Ministry source told The Globe and Mail. 디지털투데이 said SpaceX’s official position on the scope, cause and duration of any limits was still awaited.
Poland and Europe push back
Poland, which pays for Ukrainian Starlink subscriptions on Kyiv’s behalf, responded sharply. “Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?” Radoslaw Sikorski asked on X, adding that European customers were watching, The Globe and Mail reported. It identified him as Polish foreign minister; 디지털투데이 called him deputy prime minister. The Globe and Mail said there was no immediate response from Musk, who has previously called Sikorski a “small man.”
Shares in Eutelsat, the European satellite operator described by The Globe and Mail as Europe’s best shot at taking on Starlink, jumped on Wednesday as some investors bet European providers could benefit from strains between Washington and Kyiv — a bet that sits against Europe’s limited alternatives.
The wider rupture with Washington
The restriction landed amid worsening ties with Washington. The Globe and Mail reported that Trump turned on Zelensky after lifting sanctions on Russian diesel, told Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and urged Ukrainians to replace Zelensky. “It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side,” Zelensky told Piers Morgan Uncensored, according to that report.
Sources have told Reuters and other media that the US has threatened to cut off intelligence on early warning of missile strikes to press Kyiv to suspend refinery attacks, The Globe and Mail said. Ukrainian officials said they received no warnings from Western partners for a second day before Russian missiles hit the capital, while Trump insisted Washington was still sharing intelligence — a point 디지털투데이 also reported.
Russian strikes continued through Wednesday. The Globe and Mail reported six people killed in the western city of Lutsk, two killed and 21 wounded at a Kyiv residential building, and some 600,000 people left without power as missiles struck power stations in Kyiv and Kharkiv. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed striking four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv; Zelensky said 30 energy facilities were damaged and called the attacks a snub to Trump’s call for an energy ceasefire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has SpaceX restricted Ukraine’s Starlink access before?
Yes, according to 디지털투데이. The outlet noted that in 2023 Musk said he had refused a request to activate Starlink to support a Ukrainian attack on Crimea, and that Reuters has reported SpaceX cut Starlink access for frontline units during Ukraine’s 2022 counteroffensive, disrupting operations.
Has SpaceX ever limited Starlink terminals used by Russian forces?
디지털투데이 reported that in February this year SpaceX restricted Starlink terminals used by Russian forces inside Ukraine, acting at Ukraine’s request. The outlet said that move was reported to have helped the Ukrainian military’s counteroffensive.
Did Ukraine provide evidence for the speed-limit claim?
디지털투데이 reported that Beskrestnov did not provide specific evidence for his claim about the speed limits. Ukrainian defence ministry officials said difficulties had arisen in military operations, logistics support and drone strikes, and that the exact cause was still under investigation.
What did Britain announce while Zelensky was in London?
According to The Globe and Mail, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the planned delivery of £45-million ($84.6-million) of surface-to-air missiles used against jet-powered Russian drones. The report said £10-million of that package was fast-tracked to meet an urgent Ukrainian need.
Follow Starlink News on Google. Make us a preferred source to see more of our reporting in Google search results.
