Ukraine says Starlink interfered with its air defence and attack capabilities. Musk puts the heat on Trump and the US military, saying they decide the restrictions.
Ukrainian officials say restrictions imposed without warning caused military satellite terminals to lose connectivity above roughly 100 mph (160 km/h), disrupting drone missions. Some units reported dropouts at lower speeds, according to Ukrinform and AP.
What Musk says
The restrictions affected Starshield, SpaceX’s military service using the Starlink constellation. Musk says the US government owns and controls those systems and that the military and ultimately the president decide speed and usage limits, as Reuters reports.
His statement does not identify who ordered this particular change. The Pentagon and US Space Force had not immediately responded to AP’s questions in the report reviewed by WDWK.
Partial improvement, with limits remaining
Ukraine later reported improved connectivity up to around 100 mph. Officials said that was still too slow for intercepting faster, jet-powered Russian drones. Slower attack drones could also be more vulnerable to interception.
These reports concern restrictions on military operations, rather than an established nationwide shutdown of Starlink. They do not establish that the restrictions caused a particular Russian strike to hit its target.
Lead photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP. A Kyiv apartment building burns after a Russian missile strike on 13 October 2026. This is a context photograph of the attack; the reporting does not establish that the satellite restrictions caused this particular building to be hit. Photo source.
