Ukraine Accuses SpaceX of Starlink Disruptions Amid Rising Tensions with Trump

POLICY WIRE — Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials and military units asserted Wednesday that Elon Musk’s SpaceX restricted Starlink satellite internet services, severely impacting frontline communications and drone operations. The alleged disruptions coincided with a pair of intense Russian missile strikes that hit Kyiv without the customary advance warnings from allies.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense tech adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated via Telegram that SpaceX introduced unannounced speed limits overnight on military-grade Starlink terminals operating above 100 mph. Beskrestnov noted that our defence forces received no warning of such a restriction, and this led to the failure of a number of missions, adding that the timing appeared tied to the current political climate.

The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Ukrainian air assault forces confirmed experiencing connectivity issues caused by data transfer speed limits, which directly impeded drones relying on the network for in-flight steering. An army unit stationed in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region reported canceling several planned missions, noting that while the drones remained airborne, the interruptions complicated control.

Ukraine’s Charge d’Affaires to the U.S., Denys Sienik, emphasized that the technology helps us save the lives of civilians and prevent more destruction in Ukraine caused by the Russian side. According to a Ukrainian official, formal inquiries sent to both Washington and SpaceX have yielded no response, with military units discovering the operational caps only after contacting customer support.

The satellite internet friction follows days of strained relations between Kyiv and the White House, driven by President Donald Trump’s push to lower gas prices ahead of midterms. Trump recently stunned Ukrainian leadership by striking a diesel deal with Russia, demanding a halt to refinery attacks, calling for Zelenskyy’s replacement, and declaring an energy ceasefire that neither combatant formally accepted.

While Kyiv paused its strikes on Russian energy infrastructure to align with Trump’s directives, Moscow pressed forward with seasonal assaults aimed at plunging the country into darkness. Zelenskyy noted that intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches helps save lives, and this is one of the most critical issues, later reporting that a strike on Kyiv marked the second time Ukraine was not warned.

President Trump denied withholding vital defense data, telling reporters that we are helping them and we are sharing intel despite pressure on Kyiv over refinery strikes. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha similarly suggested at the Warsaw Security Forum that intelligence sharing persisted, attributing delayed warnings to a special type of the weaponry deployed by Russia.

However, after a second unannounced ballistic strike, a Ukrainian official remarked that we did not receive warning for a second time, and this does not look like a coincidence. Ukrainian air force spokesman Col. Yurii Ihnat confirmed that subsequent waves of aerial assaults did feature proper notifications from partners.

The Kremlin acknowledged the confusion on Wednesday while maintaining it was too early to draw any systemic conclusions from the events. Zelenskyy reported that at least 600,000 residents across Ukraine lost power following the strikes, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of violating the announced energy truce and showing ostentatious disrespect toward the United States.

Musk, who activated Starlink over Ukraine following the 2002 full-scale invasion and later purged thousands of Russian-operated terminals, has recently echoed Trump’s criticisms. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski publicly challenged the billionaire on X by writing, Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?, adding that European customers are closely watching.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)