The move comes as US President Donald Trump increases pressure on Vladimir Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian refineries and to hold an election<\/p>\n
Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX has disrupted Ukrainian drone missions by abruptly restricting the military\u2019s high-speed access to the Starlink satellite network, according to officials in Kiev and frontline commanders. The complaints come as US President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Vladimir Zelensky to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries and hold a long-overdue presidential election.
\nThe development was reported on Wednesday by Sergey Beskrestnov, Zelensky\u2019s technology adviser, who claimed that SpaceX had imposed a speed limit of 100 miles per hour (160 km\/h) on Starshield, its military-grade satellite communications service, without informing Kiev in advance.
\n\u201cOur defense forces were not notified of this restriction, and it has resulted in the disruption of several missions,\u201d he wrote, adding that the move was clearly connected to the \u201ccurrent political situation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Trump \u2018betrayed Ukraine\u2019 \u2013 US senators<\/p>\n
Later, he added that the curbs imposed on long-range missions are only part of the problem, as the restrictions also impact Ukraine\u2019s interceptor drones, rendering them less potent in tackling Russia\u2019s own strike UAVs.
\nThe disruption was corroborated by four Ukrainian frontline sources cited by Ukrainskaya Pravda. According to the article, one commander provided footage showing two drones losing connectivity above cloud cover and becoming unable to complete their mission.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Zelensky claims West gave no warning of latest Russian strike<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s 7th Air Assault Corps also confirmed serious operational problems, noting that satellite connections were dropping for 10\u201320 seconds at speeds of just 110\u2013120 km\/h, well below the reported 160 km\/h limit. It also warned that slower-flying drones become more vulnerable to Russian air defenses, while aircraft used in mid-range strikes against Russian logistics could become impossible to launch or operate effectively.
\nSergey Sternenko, a Ukrainian activist and former Defense Ministry adviser, suggested that SpaceX had acted at the request of the Trump administration. Neither Washington nor Musk has commented on the reports.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Zelensky not a \u2018good ally\u2019 \u2013 Trump adviser<\/p>\n
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also weighed in, addressing Musk directly. \u201cHey, Elon Musk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?\u201d he wrote on X. Poland spends approximately $50 million annually on Starlink services supporting Ukraine, and Sikorski had previously threatened to reconsider those payments after SpaceX announced roaming restrictions affecting Polish customers, a decision which was later rolled back.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
\u2018We might rethink paying you\u2019: Poland threatens Musk over Starlink<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had no independent information about the reported restrictions but argued that \u201cit would be better if remarkable technologies such as Starlink were not used for military purposes at all.\u201d\u00a0
\nStarlink has become a cornerstone of Ukraine\u2019s military communications since the escalation of its conflict with Russia in 2022, with Kiev\u2019s forces relying on the network for reconnaissance, logistics, and drone control. However, SpaceX has refused to enable the service for strikes deep inside Russia, with Musk reportedly believing that doing so would escalate the conflict.
\nThe reported disruption comes as Trump has ramped up pressure on Kiev to stop attacking Russian oil refineries \u2013 something Zelensky said he was ready to agree to on the condition that Moscow stops targeting Ukraine\u2019s energy infrastructure. The US president has also eased restrictions on Russian diesel exports following talks with Russian President\u00a0Vladimir Putin, triggering Zelensky\u2019s pushback.
\nMusk echoed Trump\u2019s criticism of the strikes, writing on X that \u201cZelensky has gone too far.\u201d\u00a0
\nThe Trump-Zelensky feud also turned personal, with the US president suggesting that Ukraine needs \u201ca new president.\u201d The Ukrainian leader\u2019s presidential term ended in 2024, and he has refused to call a new election, citing martial law. Russia has since declared him \u201cillegitimate,\u201d arguing that his dubious status is a major obstacle to signing a binding peace deal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The move comes as US President Donald Trump increases pressure on Vladimir Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian refineries and to hold an election Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX has disrupted Ukrainian…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39866,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t