SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service continues to be restricted in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials and national security experts. These limitations are reportedly impacting critical drone operations and hindering Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian logistics. Despite conflicting statements, including those from former President Donald Trump, Ukrainian leadership asserts that the speed limitations remain in place.
The ongoing disruptions have prompted Ukraine to explore alternative satellite communication capabilities and seek assurances for uninterrupted support from the U.S. Democratic lawmakers are also calling for investigations into the throttling of SpaceX’s Starshield terminals.
Kyiv, Ukraine - Reports indicate that SpaceX's Starlink internet system is still facing throttling in Ukraine, significantly impacting the nation's ability to conduct critical operations, particularly drone missions. Ukrainian officials and national security experts have voiced growing concerns as the restrictions continue to affect frontline capabilities.
Denys Sienik, Ukraine's deputy ambassador to the U.S., expressed the urgency of the situation on X, formerly Twitter, stating, "Every day matters for Ukraine, because every Ukrainian life matters." He added, "Our people are waiting for positive news, hoping that the restrictions will be lifted and our defenders will have the capabilities they need to protect lives. Unfortunately, as of today, nothing has changed. We continue to wait."
SpaceX's Starlink internet system continues to be throttled in Ukraine as the stakes rise for the war-torn country, Ukrainian officials and a national security expert said Friday.
Since Oct. 14, Ukrainian officials have accused SpaceX of undermining the country's ability to defend itself by imposing speed limits on Starshield, the military-grade Starlink offering. Any drone traveling above 100 mph lost its connection, disrupting some missions, officials said.
Despite recent comments from President Donald Trump that indicated service was restored, Ukraine's Starshield terminals continued to experience problems on Friday, said Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington, D.C., think tank focused on energy, defense tech and global trade.
"They are losing drones," Alperovitch, who is also a co-founder and former chief technology officer of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, told CNBC. "Ability to do mid strike to hit Russian logistics is now limited."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Friday post on X that the restrictions on Starlink and Starshield "are still there," and added, "The speed has not been restored." He noted that the country is also waiting for the U.S. to deliver missile interceptors "that were already agreed on."
"Things have become harder — partly because of the Starlink and Starshield policies and speed limits," Zelenskyy wrote. "But our frontline is still holding and I am proud of how strong our people are."
Zelenskyy's defense tech advisor, Serhii Beskrestnov, also confirmed the restrictions were in place in a post on his Telegram channel.
"While there are isolated cases where Starlink may operate somewhat beyond the established limits, this is likely a result of SpaceX's algorithms or specific usage conditions, rather than an actual removal of restrictions," Beskrestnov said in a post translated by Google.
Elon Musk and representatives from SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Who is ultimately responsible for the decision to limit Ukraine's service remains unclear.
Democratic lawmakers have since called for an investigation into Musk and the Starshield throttling. A group of bipartisan lawmakers penned a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday urging the agency to "act expeditiously to expand its Starshield arrangements and ensure uninterrupted satellite communications support for Ukraine."
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump spoke to Musk by phone about lifting the restrictions on Ukraine's Starshield terminals. Trump said Thursday he didn't "want to comment one way or the other" about whether he made the call to Musk, and added, "The bottom line, he put it back."
But on Friday, Trump insisted that he hadn't spoken with Musk, and reiterated that Starshield service had been restored.
"I've heard it was fixed," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "But if it's not, I'll speak to him."
Amid the Starshield disruptions, Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have floated the possibility of adopting additional satellite internet communications systems. Experts previously told CNBC that it could prove challenging for Ukraine or other countries to secure alternatives to Starlink since other options are not yet comparable to the service.
Zelenskyy wrote Wednesday in a post on X that he met with Norwegian officials and Kongsberg, a Norwegian defense company, to discuss air defense systems and "launching work on new satellite communication capabilities for our warriors."
On Thursday, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense signed a letter of intent with Nokia and ICEYE, a Finnish space intelligence firm, to "explore cooperation in space" and "support Ukraine's defense capabilities, particularly in building sovereign satellite communications," the companies said in a release.
"Modern warfare has proven that reliable communications are a matter of national security," Zelenskyy said in a statement. "We must all rely on capabilities that we can control."
-- CNBC's Eamon Javers and Lora Kolodny contributed reporting to this story.
