Ukraine Says SpaceX Capped Starlink For Its Military, Disrupting Drone Missions

Ukraine's defense forces have been forced to cancel several drone missions due to SpaceX restricting Starlink services in the country, according to a report by Reuters. The Starlink terminals, owned by Elon Musk's company, are crucial for guiding Ukraine's longer-range drone strikes in occupied southern and eastern Ukraine, which have significantly damaged Russian logistics.

Starlink's military-grade version was reportedly limited to operating at speeds below 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), a move that caught Ukrainian forces off guard, as they did not receive any prior warning about the restriction. This disruption has made it more challenging for drones to maintain control, with some missions having to be aborted due to connection drops lasting for 10 to 20 seconds during flights.

The Ukrainian 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, deployed in the southeast, confirmed that some units had to cancel missions because of the issue. President Zelensky has publicly accused Elon Musk and former President Trump of betraying Ukraine, claiming that the overnight disruption of Starlink crippled interceptor drones, putting Ukrainian lives at risk.

The reason for SpaceX's decision to throttle the service remains unclear, but it comes amid increasing pressure from Washington on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.