Starlink Restrictions Disrupt Ukraine’s Combat Missions, Kyiv Says

SpaceX has restricted some Starlink services in Ukraine without warning, disrupting combat missions and threatening the country’s ability to intercept Russian drones, a senior Ukrainian official said Wednesday.

Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said speed restrictions took effect overnight and applied to terminals using the Starshield military service package when moving above 100 mph.

“I confirm that SpaceX has implemented speed limits for Starlink terminals while in motion,” Beskrestnov wrote in a post on Telegram. “Our defense forces were not notified of this restriction, and it has resulted in the disruption of several missions.”

Starlink satellite internet services are crucial to Ukrainian military operations, supporting battlefield communications and drones used to strike Russian targets.

Beskrestnov said the restrictions also affected frontline logistics and undermined an important means of defending Ukrainian airspace.

He said the change was politically motivated but did not provide evidence or identify who might have sought the restrictions.

The Epoch Times reached out to SpaceX for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Drone Defenses at Risk

Beskrestnov said in a follow-up post that the consequences extended beyond Ukraine’s ability to attack Russian forces and move supplies near the front.

Ukrainian forces use Starlink in interceptor drones that he described as the most effective available means of countering fast-moving, jet-powered Russian drones.

“In fact, with their actions, our partners are depriving us of one of the few chances we have to defend the country from these jet-powered ‘Shaheds,’” he wrote.

His remarks drew a sharp response from Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who publicly challenged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk over whether the restrictions were intended to exert political pressure on Kyiv.

“Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?” he wrote in a post on X. “As your European customers, we are watching you.”

Poland has previously said it pays for Ukraine’s Starlink subscription. Musk did not immediately respond to Sikorski’s post.

The Polish foreign minister’s post recalls a public dispute in 2025 involving Sikorski, Musk, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio over Ukraine’s reliance on the satellite network.

Musk said at the time that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse” if he turned Starlink off.

Musk later said that, regardless of his disagreements over Ukraine policy, Starlink would never turn off its terminals or use the service as a bargaining chip.

Russian Strikes Hit Energy Infrastructure

The restrictions emerged as Ukraine faced another wave of Russian attacks on its energy and critical infrastructure, despite an energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump three days earlier.

Zelenskyy said the overnight assault into Oct. 14 left at least 600,000 Ukrainians without electricity and damaged 26 power system facilities and four facilities in the oil and gas sector.

He described the attack as “demonstrative in its scale,” saying Russia had launched more than 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones against infrastructure covered by the truce.

“Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

Trump announced the energy truce in an Oct. 11 post on Truth Social, saying both sides had agreed to stop attacks on energy infrastructure.

“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!,” he wrote.

Zelenskyy had already questioned whether Moscow would honor the agreement, saying Russia struck a power plant in Kharkiv immediately after Trump’s announcement.

Trump said on Oct. 13 that Washington continued to provide intelligence to Ukraine while working with both sides to end the war.

“We are helping them, and we are sharing intel,” he told reporters. “We want the war to end, so we’re working with them and Russia on getting the war to end.”

The U.S. president said Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin both wanted the conflict to end, but that “there is a lot of hatred between the two of them” and they “don’t know how to get there.”