Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the United States of withdrawing vital intelligence and weakening the ‘Starlink’ communications service at a crucial time in the Russian invasion, amid a burgeoning row with US president Donald Trump over strikes on Russian oil facilities.
Elon Musk’s Starshield - the military version of Starlink - has provided a lifeline to Ukraine in helping to defend against incoming attacks, as well as striking Russian targets. But Ukrainian officials on Wednesday began reporting trouble with terminals moving at speed.
The reasons for the difficulties were not immediately clear but followed another souring of relations between Trump and Ukraine, after he announced a deal to waive sanctions on Russian diesel and called for Zelensky to be replaced.
Trump had also reportedly threatened to cut off vital intelligence unless Ukraine stopped attacking Russian energy infrastructure after announcing a so-called ‘energy ceasefire’ last week that blindsided both Kyiv and Moscow.
But while Ukraine said it had paused energy strikes for three days to comply, even as Russian strikes rained overhead, Zelenskyy told the FT that his forces had been left without US early-warning alerts for incoming missiles and that satellite communications had been slowed down nationwide.
Zelensky’s office said on Thursday that Starlink’s functionality had been restored and speed limits lifted, but the issue threatens to inflame tensions with a US administration increasingly friendly to Russia at Ukraine’s expense.
The Independent looks at what significance Starlink holds for Ukraine.
What are Starlink and Starshield?
Starlink, the main profit engine of SpaceX, is an internet network of more than 11,000 satellites that beam broadband service directly to user terminals about the size of a folded newspaper. Its roughly 13 million subscribers range from households and hikers to shipping companies and major airlines.
Since launching its first Starlink satellites in 2019, the company has built a vast low-Earth-orbit constellation that blankets much of the planet, delivering faster connections than traditional communications satellites, which typically operate much farther from Earth and in far smaller numbers.
Starlink gave Ukraine a critical communications advantage early in the war, reshaping how militaries operate on the battlefield. But Musk has restricted it for certain military uses while highlighting Starshield, a more secure network developed by the US Pentagon for government and military missions.
Unveiled in 2022, Starshield is a SpaceX business unit that develops military and intelligence satellite systems for the US department of defence.
While Musk has said the two systems are separate, in many cases they share the same underlying satellite technology and the distinction is not always clear-cut. Starshield's secure services use enhanced encryption and dedicated terminals, but rely on the vast Starlink constellation as their backbone.
Britain has also adopted Starshield. Under that arrangement, the service uses the same satellite constellation, ground stations and terrestrial infrastructure as Starlink, but operates through dedicated terminals and separate network gateways, Britain’s defence ministry has said.
Musk, who was Trump’s controversial “efficiency” tsar early into the president’s second term, pushed back on criticism of his Starlink service on Wednesday, writing on social media: “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX.”
Any limits on the speed or usage of Starshield would be decided by the US military or the president, he added.
What happened to Ukraine’s Starshield access?
Ukrainian officials on Wednesday said Starshield services had been slowed across the country, hampering frontline operations and medium-range strikes against Russian military sites.
Ukrainian military officials initially accused SpaceX of interrupting the functioning of its military grade-terminals when they were moving at high speed. Kyiv installs SpaceX receptors on many of its drones as part of their onboard guidance systems. They operate across Ukraine, including in occupied territories.
“Our defence forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions,” presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram, saying the restriction affected Starshield.
The speed cutoff hampers Ukraine's ability to conduct strikes on Russian targets inside Ukraine, and also to defend itself from Russian drones using its own interceptor drones, according to a defence ministry source and another military source.
Beskrestnov said SpaceX had imposed a speed limit of 160 kph (100 mph). The defence ministry source told Reuters that military units had reported guidance systems losing their connections at speeds of less than half that.
Despite Musk saying Starshield was owned and controlled by the US government, the suggestion SpaceX had limited involvement drew a sharp response from Poland, which pays for Ukrainian Starlink subscriptions on Kyiv’s behalf.
“Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?” Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski asked Musk on X. “As your European customers, we are watching you.”
What happens now?
A source in Ukraine’s defence ministry told Reuters on Thursday that Starshield satellite functionality while in motion has now been restored, a day after the service was throttled at speeds over 100mph. Zelenskyy’s office confirmed Starlink’s functionality was back in comments to the FT.
The source said the defence ministry would continue to seek clarification on the reasons for Wednesday's disruption of the military-grade version of SpaceX's internet service.
The dispute has exacerbated tensions between Ukraine and the US, with Zelensky vowing to restart strikes on Russian oil refineries and expressing annoyance at the disruption to intelligence and Starlink.
The problems highlighted that Ukraine and Europe depend heavily on US systems for both low-orbit satellite communications — provided by SpaceX via Starlink — and space-based infrared sensing that feeds into early-warning systems.
Europe does not have a ready-made alternative to Starlink that Ukrainian soldiers could attach to their drones, although European governments and companies are working on long-term options.
European defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius said at a conference on Wednesday that the continent was still “quite dependent on American space capabilities”.
“The answer to that situation is to develop our own capabilities,” he added, mentioning the European Union's planned satellite constellation IRIS² and urging European countries to work together.
Pictures reveal huge cargo containers floating in Hormuz after Iran sinks two ships
‘Could say he’s bi-curious’: Ex-Trump press secretary on his Senator butt comment
Six Flags park set to reopen after man thrown off roller coaster to his death
IMF says African economies performing well despite shocks from the Iran war
Russians complain about broken dating apps and takeaway delays after Ukraine strikes
Musk blames Trump for slowing down Starlink access for Ukrainian army
