Ukrainian forces said Wednesday its battlefield efforts had been hampered overnight after losing some access to SpaceX’s military-grade satellite Internet service, which has become a lifeline as Kyiv weathers Moscow's attacks. Starlink offers Internet connectivity from satellites in low-Earth orbit. Its sister service Starshield, a military version developed for the Pentagon, relies on the Starlink network and has recently been used by Ukrainian forces to strengthen its far-reaching drone strike missions and air defenses.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, a military technology expert whoadvises Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said speed restrictions had been imposed on the "military package" of Starshield services, leading to the “failure” of several military missions. Tensions are high between the U.S. and Ukraine, as Zelensky has been vocal in his disapproval of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to import diesel from Russia, despite previous sanctions prohibiting it.
The move has also caused a split in Trump’s own party, with several Republican lawmakers urging him to reverse course. After making the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Trump announced an “energy cease-fire” between Russia and Ukraine—but Zelensky swiftly accused Moscow of violating any such agreement and Ukraine has, in turn, resumed strikes on Russian refineries, despite pressure from Washington. Speaking from the U.K., Zelenskysaid it was a “pity” Ukrainian forces had experienced “difficulties” with Starlink services and intelligence, adding that he was surprised by the developments in Ukraine’s partnership with the U.S.
In an interview on _Piers Morgan Uncensored_ Wednesday night, Zelensky suggested he believed Starlink had been slowed down to damage him, and warned “people will die, if attacks will continue and if Starlink will not work … it’s not helpful.” He said he hoped the restriction was only a “mistake,” suggesting it was perhaps "a huge technical problem” at SpaceX. However, in another interview, Zelensky said: "It was not a technical problem, it was the will." SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk addressed the matter, insisting that Starlink and Starshield are different. He cited the U.S. authorities as being in control of the latter’s usage determinations.
Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS,” he said on X. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.” A senior U.S. official told Axios that the Trump Administration was not involved in the alleged Starlink limitations. Meanwhile, Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinformreported Thursday, citing sources within the Ministry of Defense, that “the work of Starshield in motion has resumed and continues.” A Ukrainian official also told Axios that Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield satellite services had been restored to full capacity.
TIME has reached out to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense for comment. The discourse has nonetheless raised questions about what Starshield is and how uniquely important it has become on the Ukrainian battlefield. Starshield is a program developed by Musk’s SpaceX that draws on the satellite and launch capability behind Starlink, its commercial satellite Internet network, to support national security operations.
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