The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed on Wednesday that the military forces of the country have been deprived of full access to SpaceX's Starlink satellite system. These restrictions have been imposed while Ukraine is defending itself against the military invasion of Russia, which has lasted nearly five years.
Details of the Restrictions
Advisor to the Presidency of Ukraine, Serhiy Bratchuk, announced that "tonight SpaceX introduced a restriction on the speed of Starlink terminals in motion." He added that "our defense forces were not warned about this restriction, which led to disruptions in some missions." According to Bratchuk, this action clearly cannot be coincidental and is related to the current political situation.
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Political Background
This political situation refers to the recent decision of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to reduce sanctions against Russia and criticize Zelensky. Trump has called for an end to Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy facilities and told Zelensky that he should be removed from office. With rising oil and gas prices due to the war, Trump has repeatedly attacked Zelensky and called for an end to attacks on Russian energy facilities.
On Tuesday, for example, Russian ballistic missiles targeted a power plant in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials reported that Starlink outages coincided with Russian night attacks. Starlink is crucial for Ukraine's drone operations and ground communications and has been used as an alternative for remote control of drones.
Consequences of Military Operations
The advisor to the Presidency of Ukraine stated that SpaceX has cut access to the military version of Starlink at speeds over 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour). This has forced Ukraine's rapid response forces stationed in the south to cancel some missions. One representative of this force told reporters: "During flight, communication may be interrupted for 10 to 20 seconds at speeds of 110 to 120 kilometers per hour. These disruptions have made controlling drones more difficult."
A source in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense also stated that these restrictions severely complicate logistics and drone operations. Ukraine has been using Starlink terminals as an alternative method for remote control of its drones, and this tool has acted as a vital means for conducting long-range attacks and meeting the needs of the frontline Ukrainian forces due to its resistance to electronic disruptions.
SpaceX's Change of Position
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and a major supporter of Trump, has repeatedly changed his position since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In August, Zelensky announced that Kyiv is considering creating an alternative to Musk's Starlink in cooperation with a European country.
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