According to a report by Reuters on October 14, Ukrainian officials said that Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has restricted Starlink services, hindering the country’s drone operations for attack and air defense missions. At the same time, the deteriorating relationship with Washington has increased Ukraine’s concerns about U.S. support.
Russia launched more missiles and drones into Ukrainian cities, causing power outages for hundreds of thousands of people. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy described these attacks as a "flagrant disrespect" of the energy ceasefire called for by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Reuters reported that Trump revoked sanctions on Russian diesel fuel in an attempt to curb soaring fuel prices since the U.S.-Iran war. Subsequently, he came into conflict with Zelenskyy. He told Kiev to stop attacking Russian refineries and urged Ukrainians to replace Zelenskyy.
"When Trump chose to stand on the other side instead of our side, it was painful," Zelensky said in an interview program. He expressed that he could accept Trump's neutrality between Ukraine and Russia, but "if you are in a neutral position, then you must remain neutral."
When asked about the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink service being restricted in Ukraine, Zelensky said, “This is a huge mistake… This decision will lead to numerous casualties.”
Musk responded that the movement speed of all terminals in this system is controlled by the US government and military. He wrote on the social media platform X: "The movement speed or usage restrictions of any terminal are determined by the US military, and ultimately by the President of the United States."
Sources told Reuters and other media that the United States has threatened to cut off intelligence sharing used for missile attack warnings, in order to force Kiev to suspend attacks on Russian refineries.
Ukrainian officials said on the evening of the 13th that they had not received any warnings from their Western partners for the second consecutive day, and subsequently Russia launched a missile attack on the capital. Trump insisted on the 13th that Washington was still sharing intelligence.
After talks with British Prime Minister Andrew Burnham in London, Zelensky wrote on Telegram: "It is clear that the Russians are trying to exploit the problems with Ukraine's Starlink system, as the ability to intercept drones depends largely on that connection."
Previously, Trump said over the weekend that both Ukraine and Russia agreed to stop attacking energy targets, although neither side provided any confirmation of this.
Russian strikes continued for a whole day on the 14th. Six people were killed in the western Ukrainian city of Luhansk. The local governor said that a warehouse and a residential building were hit.
Ukraine continued to carry out remote attacks on Russia, targeting Russia’s largest data center. Although Ukraine stated that it was not targeting energy targets at the moment, as a gesture of respect for Trump.
Ukrainian military officials said that SpaceX, led by Musk, began to interrupt its operations when its military-grade terminals were moving at high speeds, without any prior warning.
Kiev has installed SpaceX receivers in many drones, as part of their onboard guidance systems. These devices are operational throughout Ukraine.
Our armed forces have not received warnings about this restriction, which has led to the interruption of multiple missions," said Serhiy Shelistunovo, an advisor to the President of Ukraine, in a Telegram post.
According to a source in the Department of Defense and another military source, the speed limits have hindered Ukraine’s ability to use its own interceptor drones to defend against Russian drones.
Besskelstov said that SpaceX has implemented a terminal movement speed limit of 160 kilometers per hour. However, a source from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense told Reuters that military units reported losing connection when the guidance system was operating at less than half of this speed.
According to sources in the Department of Defense, Ukraine is in contact with the company, as well as the United States government and NATO, to seek clarification regarding this sudden restriction.
Musk's company's claims about restricting Ukraine's military capabilities have sparked strong reactions in Poland; Poland pays for Ukraine's Starlink subscription fees for Kyiv.
Hey @elonmusk, big shot, are you using your product to dabble in politics again? Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski asked Musk on X. “As your European customer, we’re watching you.”
