A bipartisan group of nine US senators has asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to open an immediate investigation into disruptions to SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield satellite services in Ukraine, in a letter sent on Thursday 15 October. The senators say the disruptions, reported between 12 and 14 October, degraded Ukraine’s air defences and put American personnel in the country at risk, according to the BBC.
Key facts
- The letter went to the US Department of Defense inspector general, named by Stars and Stripes as Platte Moring.
- It was led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and signed by four more Democrats and four Republicans.
- The senators want written confirmation of the investigation’s status, plus an initial briefing, by 1 November, Stars and Stripes reports.
- On Tuesday night, Starlink restricted speeds to 100mph (160km/h), so that any weapon travelling faster lost its connection to the network, according to the BBC.
- The letter asks the inspector general to establish whether the restrictions were caused by the Department of Defense or its contractors.
Why it matters
The BBC describes Starlink as a vital tool that lets Kyiv guide drones to Russian targets and protect its own skies. The senators write that the restrictions reportedly degraded Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russian drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Stars and Stripes reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the speed limits on Starshield, the military-grade tier built on the Starlink network, had contributed to civilian deaths by hindering Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian drones.
What the senators are asking for
Beyond the connectivity cuts, the letter raises reported disruptions or glitches affecting intelligence-sharing and threat-warning capabilities used by personnel operating in Ukraine.
The accounts of how badly that hit American staff differ slightly. The BBC and Ukrainian National News report the senators saying US diplomatic, military and security personnel were unable to reach designated bunkers during Russian air raids. Stars and Stripes reports them citing “serious difficulties” reaching those bunkers.
“Given the potentially deadly consequences, these incidents require immediate investigation,” the senators wrote, in the text quoted by the BBC.
The letter also asks what is being done to make sure Americans in Ukraine, including at the US Embassy in Kyiv, get reliable threat warnings, Stars and Stripes reports. The outlet notes the embassy is guarded by Marines. The senators add that the precise cause of the incidents, including whether they stemmed from technical failures, interruptions in intelligence sharing, changes in US government policy or other factors, remains unclear.
Conflicting accounts of who ordered the limits
Responsibility is still disputed, and Musk and the White House have traded blame. On Wednesday, SpaceX owner Elon Musk wrote on X that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, and that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the president, the BBC reports.
A US official told the BBC that no such request was ever made by President Donald Trump. Yahoo, citing European Pravda, reports that Axios had earlier reported the White House saying it was not involved in the restrictions and pointing out that it does not control SpaceX.
Ukrainian National News reports that the White House and the Pentagon did not respond to suggestions that the United States may have been involved, and separately flags a Reuters report stating that the order to restrict Starlink for Ukraine came from the White House. The sources do not agree on this point.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis, one of the signatories, said the fault appears to sit at a more local level inside the Department of Defense’s Starshield systems rather than with Starlink or SpaceX. He said he was not holding his breath for transparency from Defense Secretary Hegseth, which is why he wanted the inspector general involved, Yahoo reports. “At best, this was an unacceptable error or lapse, and at worst a conscious decision to clear the field for a Russian attack,” Tillis added.
Where service stands now
Speaking at a news conference in Brussels on Friday, Zelensky said Starlink services were still being restored in Ukraine and that speeds had not returned to where they were before, according to the BBC. Yahoo reports he called the decision to impose restrictions a mistake that would cost lives, and said he would discuss intelligence sharing and Starlink access with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Background
Stars and Stripes reports the disruptions came amid escalating tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump, after Trump announced a deal to import Russian diesel to lower US fuel prices and called for Zelenskyy to be replaced. The BBC puts the volume at 300,000 tonnes of diesel released to the US and global marketplace, and reports Zelensky criticising the deal as the US effectively investing in Russia’s war effort.
Zelensky has also accused the US of withdrawing intelligence-sharing to pressure Kyiv into halting attacks on Russian energy sites, the BBC reports; the US has denied cutting back intelligence-sharing, according to Stars and Stripes. An “energy ceasefire” announced by Trump on Sunday was never accepted publicly by the Kremlin, and Zelensky said Russia ignored it within hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the speed restrictions affect ordinary Starlink home internet customers?
The sources describe the disruptions as affecting Ukraine’s military connectivity, not consumer broadband. The BBC and Ukrainian National News both note that Starlink is a civilian low Earth orbit service aimed at remote areas, while Starshield is the version built for government and military use, and Senator Thom Tillis told Yahoo, via European Pravda, that the error appears to have occurred at a more local level within the Pentagon’s Starshield systems rather than with Starlink or SpaceX.
Who pays for the satellite service Ukraine’s forces were using?
Stars and Stripes reports that Starshield is a battlefield communications system paid for by the Pentagon, and describes it as critical to Ukraine’s operations. It is a military-grade version of the Starlink satellite network, and both Starlink and Starshield are owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Did Ukraine also lose warnings about incoming Russian missiles?
Yes, according to Stars and Stripes. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine received no warning from its Western partners about Russian ballistic missile launches for several days in a row, and the outlet reports that Ukrainian forces were not warned of impending Russian missile attacks. The US has denied cutting back intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.
Which senators signed the letter?
The BBC and Ukrainian National News list Republicans Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John Cornyn, and Democrats Richard Durbin, Jack Reed, Richard Blumenthal and Christopher Coons. The letter was led by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
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