Ukraine says Musk's SpaceX limits Kyiv's Starlink access

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office confirmed on Wednesday that the country's military has been cut off from full access to SpaceX's Starlink satellite system as it seeks to defend itself against a now nearly five-year Russian invasion.

Russia launched an unprovoked, illegal, full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

"Tonight SpaceX introduced a speed limit for the Starlink terminals in motion," said Presidential Adviser Sergiy Beskrestnov.

"Our defence forces were not warned about this restriction, which led to the disruption of a number of missions," he added. "Obviously, this action cannot be a coincidence and is linked to the current political situation," he added.

That political situation refers to US President Donald Trump's recent decision to extend Russian President Vladimir Putin a lifeline by lifting sanctions, buying Russian oil and berating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — saying he needs to stop attacking Russian oil infrastructure and that he should be replaced because "he won't make a deal" with Russia.

Trump, who considers himself a friend Putin's, has sought to blame Zelenskyy and Ukraine for skyrocketing oil and gas prices brought on by his own war in Iran and has repeatedly lashed out at the Ukrainian president, demanding he halt attacks on Russian energy facilities even as Russia continues to target Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure to terrorize the country's citizens as winter approaches.

Trump has insisted — with zero evidence — that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an "energy ceasefire" though Moscow and Kyiv both deny this.

On Tuesday evening, for instance, Russian ballistic missiles hit a Kyiv power plant. Ukrainian officials said the Starlink outages had coincided with overnight Russian attacks.

Ukrainian troops use Starlink to conduct drone operations and internet terminals supplied by Elon Musk's company are key to operating long-distance strikes.

Presidential Advisor Beskrestnov said SpaceX had cut off access to its military-grade version of Starlink above 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), adding that Ukraine's 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, deployed in the southeast, had been forced to cancel some missions.

"According to our observations, during flights, the connection could drop for 10–20 seconds at speeds of just 110–120 km/h. The drones kept moving, but these interruptions made them harder to control," a Reaction Corps representative told Reuters news agency.

A source in Ukraine's Defense Ministry said such limitations significantly complicate logistics and drone operations.

Ukraine has used Starlink terminals as an alternative to radio control for its drones as well as for ground communications since shortly after Russia launched its invasion.

Starlink's resistance to electronic jamming has made it a crucial tool for flying long-range attack drones as well as large hexacopters that drop supplies for Ukraine's frontline troops.

Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a massive Donald Trump supporter, has, however, repeatedly shifted his stance on Ukraine since the early days of Russia's invasion.

In August, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Kyiv was looking to create an alternative to Musk's Starlink, in concert "with a European country."