A sudden speed cap on satellite-connected equipment in Ukraine has disrupted drones used to intercept Russian attack aircraft, triggering a dispute over whether the restriction was imposed by SpaceX, the US military or the White House.
Ukrainian military users began reporting overnight between October 13 and 14 that terminals travelling faster than 100mph (160km/h) were losing their connection. Some units said the service dropped at lower speeds, including between 110km/h and 120km/h, while one Ukrainian activist claimed disruptions had occurred at speeds as low as 60km/h to 70km/h.
Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, a defence technology adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the restriction affected Starshield, SpaceX’s military and government satellite service. The exact service used by Ukrainian forces has become disputed, however, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Ukraine did not currently have access to Starshield and that its request was still being discussed.
Ukraine says drone links are being cut at speed
The loss of connectivity has immediate consequences for Ukraine’s air defence. Its domestically produced interceptor drones are used to pursue Russia’s jet-powered Shahed attack drones, also known in Russia as Geran-3, which can reach about 370km/h.
A drone unable to maintain its link above 161km/h is therefore significantly outpaced. Ukrainian sources have said terminals need to operate at speeds of at least 450km/h to counter the jet-powered aircraft.
Zelenskyy said on October 17 that Ukrainian specialists had successfully tested the terminals at 180km/h inside the European Union, without losing their connection. “The restrictions operate on the territory of Ukraine and do not operate on the territory of EU countries,” he said.
He added: “The maximum speed today is 161 km/h; after exceeding it, Starlink shuts down and we lose the drone.” Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said the service had partly stabilised for terminals travelling below about 160km/h, but Zelenskyy said the limit remained in place over the weekend.
Elon Musk points to the US government
The disruption prompted criticism of Elon Musk and SpaceX. Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, whose country has paid for tens of thousands of terminals used by Ukraine, asked Musk whether he was “playing politics with your products again”.
Pressure also came from Washington. Republican Senator Thom Tillis called for clarification over whether the overnight disruption had been unintended and later sought an investigation by the Pentagon inspector general. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield “must stop immediately”.
Musk rejected responsibility, writing: “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
Two US officials and a Western official subsequently said the instruction to slow the service in Ukraine had come from inside the White House, although they did not identify who had made the decision. A senior Ukrainian official said Kyiv had contacted the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon and was told it was a White House decision.
Separately, four sources cited by the Telegraph said Musk had proposed the speed restrictions to President Donald Trump, who approved them. That account has not been reconciled with Musk’s statement that the service was controlled by the US government.
Trump administration denies ordering the restriction
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military leadership, government and president believed the throttling was “a message from [the] American government to limit the speed”. He said SpaceX had technically carried it out, but that the restriction was the result of a decision that could be reversed by Trump.
The Trump administration has denied ordering any slowdown. Rubio, who is also national security adviser, said: “No one at the White House ordered anyone to slow down internet or slow down speed so that certain drones couldn’t use it.” He described the reports as “categorically false”.
Rubio said the slowdown had “sort of happened” but that the service had been restored to its previous level, a claim disputed by Kyiv. Trump also told reporters: “It wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon.”
The disagreement comes as the US administration has pressed Kyiv to halt drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and has taken other steps that critics say have eased pressure on Moscow. For Ukraine, however, the loss of high-speed satellite connectivity has created an immediate problem: restricting the movement of its interceptor drones could give Russian aircraft greater freedom in the skies.
