Ukraine accuses SpaceX of restricting Starlink, disrupting military as it reels from intel gaps
NBC News · LC · trust 58/100
Facing pressure from President Donald Trump to halt strikes on Russia’s energy industry, Kyiv and its backers have worried Washington could cut off battlefield support to try and force it into concessions at the negotiating table.
Ukrainian officials and their European partners were already scrambling to understand the status of U.S. intelligence sharing after the lack of alert ahead of two Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv this week, two Ukrainian and two European officials told NBC News.
Trump insisted the U.S. was still sharing intel, but with relations spiraling Ukrainian officials and military units were on Wednesday accusing SpaceX of throttling a technology essential to their battlefield communications and drone operations.
It was not immediately clear what might be behind the Starlink interruptions, though some Ukrainian officials said the timing could not be a coincidence given that Musk is a close Trump ally.
Musk has called his Starlink terminals the "backbone" of Ukraine's army, saying the "entire front line would collapse" if he turned them off. Taras Ibragimov / Global Images Ukraine via Getty The Ukrainian government has yet to receive a response from SpaceX, a Ukrainian official told NBC News, and Ukrainian units are already reporting issues with performance even at lower UAV speeds.
Asked about the importance of the technology, Ukraine’s Charge d’Affaires to the U.S. Denys Sienik said Starshield is live saving. “The technology helps us save the lives of civilians and prevent more destructions in Ukraine caused by Russian side.”
FOR SUBSCRIBERS Low-key Mike Rogers bets he can outflank Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate brawl FOR SUBSCRIBERS What to know about lung cancer following the pope’s diagnosis FOR SUBSCRIBERS Kimberly Guilfoyle’s swift exit FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘The fear factor persists’: Economic damage lingers in cities hit by immigration raids FOR SUBSCRIBERS Angry Cornell students demand change amid fraternity rape allegations FOR SUBSCRIBERS How a conspiracy theory about James Talarico raced through the right-wing internet FOR SUBSCRIBERS The Data Dive: Steve Kornacki on why 2026 isn’t like 2018 FOR SUBSCRIBERS Why a wave of ‘Cockroach’ protesters are defying India’s bid to stamp out their movement FOR SUBSCRIBERS The American consumer keeps spending. How much longer can it last? FOR SUBSCRIBERS Attack on Saudi airport dials up pressure on D.C. FOR SUBSCRIBERS Republican attempts to trip up James Talarico keep backfiring FOR SUBSCRIBERS Another Hormuz? What to know about the Houthi threat to the Red Sea FOR SUBSCRIBERS GOP ad buyer mixes up Portlands, spends money meant to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins in Oregon FOR SUBSCRIBERS Jane Doe’s night started with catching up. It ended with a frat party that changed everything. FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘Trump never cared about us’: Ukraine smarts at U.S. pressure and deal with Putin Slide 1 of 1 For Subscribers FOR SUBSCRIBERS Low-key Mike Rogers bets he can outflank Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate brawl FOR SUBSCRIBERS What to know about lung cancer following the pope’s diagnosis FOR SUBSCRIBERS Kimberly Guilfoyle’s swift exit FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘The fear factor persists’: Economic damage lingers in cities hit by immigration raids FOR SUBSCRIBERS Angry Cornell students demand change amid fraternity rape allegations FOR SUBSCRIBERS How a conspiracy theory about James Talarico raced through the right-wing internet FOR SUBSCRIBERS The Data Dive: Steve Kornacki on why 2026 isn’t like 2018 FOR SUBSCRIBERS Why a wave of ‘Cockroach’ protesters are defying India’s bid to stamp out their movement FOR SUBSCRIBERS The American consumer keeps spending. How much longer can it last? FOR SUBSCRIBERS Attack on Saudi airport dials up pressure on D.C. FOR SUBSCRIBERS Republican attempts to trip up James Talarico keep backfiring FOR SUBSCRIBERS Another Hormuz? What to know about the Houthi threat to the Red Sea FOR SUBSCRIBERS GOP ad buyer mixes up Portlands, spends money meant to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins in Oregon FOR SUBSCRIBERS Jane Doe’s night started with catching up. It ended with a frat party that changed everything. FOR SUBSCRIBERS ‘Trump never cared about us’: Ukraine smarts at U.S. pressure and deal with Putin Slide 1 of 1 Drone disruptions SpaceX had introduced speed limits on the operation of its Starlink satellite internet terminals overnight, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s defense tech adviser, Serhii Beskrestnov.
“Our defence forces received no warning of such a restriction, and this led to the failure of a number of missions,” Beskrestnov said on Telegram. “It is obvious that this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation,” he added.
An army unit fighting in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region said Wednesday it had been forced to cancel some planned operations.
The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Ukrainian air assault forces said it began “noticing Starlink connectivity problems caused by data transfer speed limits” overnight, adding that the changes directly affected drones that use the service for in-flight control.
“The drones kept flying, but the interruptions made them harder to control,” it said in a statement.
Beskrestnov said that restrictions were specifically put on the operation of the military-grade version of Starlink at speeds above 100 mph.
Starlink was also key for Ukraine’s aerial defenses as it was used to intercept the jet-powered drones that Moscow has unleashed on Ukrainian cities in recent months, he added. Asked about the importance of the technology, Ukraine’s Charge d’Affaires to the U.S. Denys Sienik said “the technology helps us save the lives of civilians and prevent more destruction in Ukraine caused by the Russian side.”
Add to Google Trump faces backlash to Russia diesel deal 02:26 Ukraine has reached out to the U.S. government and SpaceX for clarification on the rationale for the new restrictions but has…
Read the original at NBC News →
Open in TruthVane →