Staff Report
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believes restrictions placed on Starshield, the militarized version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system, during Russian attacks earlier this month were deliberate, warning that the disruption weakened Ukraine’s air defenses and endangered civilian lives.
Ukrainian forces first noticed malfunctions with their Starshield terminals on October 14, when units began losing connectivity after exceeding a certain speed, undermining the military’s ability to intercept Russian drones, defend energy infrastructure, and protect civilians during the attacks.
Speaking in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan the same day, Zelensky said he was confident the restrictions were intentional. “I’m sure that they knew what they did. Because it was 1 a.m.,” he said when asked whether the slowdown was deliberate. “So they switched off. That’s their decision.”
While Ukraine reported that broader connectivity was restored the following day, Zelensky confirmed a speed limit of 161 kilometers per hour remains in place on the system, a restriction he said does not apply in European Union countries, calling the episode a "planned operation" targeting Ukraine specifically.
The throttling has triggered a broader debate over who was responsible for the decision, with reporting pointing toward SpaceX owner Elon Musk and President Trump as the two figures most likely to have influenced it, though neither has confirmed direct involvement.
The episode adds a new layer of strain to Ukraine's relationship with its most important satellite communications provider at a moment when battlefield connectivity remains central to the country's ability to detect and respond to Russian strikes, underscoring how dependent Kyiv's defense has become on infrastructure controlled by a single foreign company.
