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

Ukraine accused SpaceX of restricting use of its Starlink system, impacting Kyiv's ability to control its drones as Russian attacks continue unabated.

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.

Due to rising oil and gas prices brought on by the war in Iran, Trump 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, without providing evidence, that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an "energy ceasefire." But Moscow and Kyiv have both denied 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.