Ukrainian officials claim SpaceX put new limits on its satellite internet service in the area without warning, disrupting the country’s drone operations and missions, according to reports from Reuters and the Financial Times. The move comes just days after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “has gone too far,” in response to President Donald Trump’s disapproval of Ukraine targeting Russian oil refineries.
Ukraine claims Starlink is suddenly disrupting service for its military
Elon Musk recently said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ‘has gone too far’ by targeting Russian oil refineries.
Elon Musk recently said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ‘has gone too far’ by targeting Russian oil refineries.
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“It is clear that this action is not coincidental and is related to the current political situation,” Ukrainian defense tech advisor Serhii Beskrestnov writes on Telegram. Ukraine uses Starshield, SpaceX’s government-focused internet service that runs on Starlink satellites, for its military operations. Beskrestnov writes that SpaceX has imposed a new restriction that prevents Starshield from connecting to devices traveling at over 100mph.
He adds that this has “led to the disruption of several missions,” as reported by Reuters. The limitation is impacting Ukraine’s ability to protect itself from Russian drone strikes as well, Beskrestnov says.
Earlier this week, Russia launched a barrage of missiles that struck multiple power plants in Ukraine, despite the “energy ceasefire” Trump claimed that the two countries have reached. Zelenskyy said in a post on X that the military received “no advance warning from our partners about the ballistic missile launch.”
Musk responded to criticism — including some from international leaders — surrounding the apparent restriction in a post on X, saying the US government is in control of Starshield systems. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk says. “Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”
Update, October 14th: Added context surrounding Starshield and a statement from Musk.
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