Symbolic imageStarshield restored after Kyiv blames politics for outage
Ukraine's military lost Starshield connectivity on moving platforms for about a day, and Kyiv says it gets no US warnings of Russian missile strikes. Washington and Musk each deny responsibility.
Ukrainian soldiers reported restrictions on Starshield, the military version of Starlink, on Wednesday, 14 October. According to Handelsblatt, Ukrainian media said drones lost contact above speeds reported between 110 and 160 km/h. A Defense Ministry source said on Thursday that service on the move was restored and the ministry is still seeking the reasons. Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov called the outage political and said troops got no warning, which disrupted several missions.
Who controls Starshield?
Elon Musk wrote on X that the US government owns Starshield and that limits are decided by the US military and ultimately the president. A senior White House official told Axios the administration had no role and will contact SpaceX. Senator Thom Tillis wants the Pentagon's Inspector General to investigate.
Zelensky's rebuke
Zelensky told the Financial Times "It was not a technical problem, it was the will" and said Ukraine still receives no US warnings of ballistic missile attacks. Trump said on Tuesday that the US is sharing intelligence. The FT reports that EU leaders will urge Zelensky to tone down his criticism of Trump.