Ukraine Accuses Elon Musk's SpaceX of Disabling Starlink Terminals

Officials say the ability to block Russian drones has been limited by Kyiv's retreat from the second night of ballistic missile attacks.

Ukrainian officials have accused SpaceX of disrupting Starlink satellite services, disrupting its ability to conduct military operations and leaving Kiev vulnerable to deadly attacks.

Without warning, service to terminals traveling more than 100 miles per hour overnight was curtailed on Wednesday, effectively limiting Ukraine's ability to launch drones that use satellite Internet to guide the aircraft, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

List of 4 items List 1 of 4 Will Ukraine survive the winter?

List 2 of 4 Russia-Ukraine Trade Strikes Amid Doubt About 'Energy Ceasefire'

List 3 of 4 'Block, Clear, Break': What's in NATO's New Russia War Plan?

List 4 of 4 Russia's 'massive' attack on Ukraine kills at least 9, damages power sites

End of list Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, which operates Starlink and its military version, Starshield, has since claimed at X that the US government and military control all Starshield speeds.

After receiving criticism for the disruptions, Musk, a major US defense contractor and former senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, wrote: "Any limits on speed or use will be decided by the US military and ultimately [the US president]."

The White House has not confirmed or denied Musk's claim. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.

Serhii Beskrestnov, Ukraine's defense technology consultant, said in a Telegram message that Ukraine "is deprived of one of the few opportunities to defend itself against witness drones."

He added: Frontline logistics and remote missions have also been disrupted.

Asked about limiting the military version of Starlink, Zelensky told Piers Morgan Uncensored it was a "huge mistake" that would "result in a lot of human casualties."

U.S. Senator Jane Shahin, a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, wrote in X: “These restrictions on Ukraine's access to Starshield must stop immediately. Lives are in danger.

The Pentagon is also required to notify Congress if it suspends or downgrades intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

The suggestion that Musk had canceled Starlink services angered Poland, which pays for Ukraine's Starlink subscriptions from Kyiv.

"Hey Elon Musk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?" Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote. "As your European customers, we're watching you."

"Big man" refers to a public spat on social media between Musk, Sikorsky and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in 2025, when the SpaceX boss told Sikorsky to "be a little man and shut up" on his Platform X.

Starlink is a sensitive issue between Sikorsky and Musk. The two have already clashed over the technology after the billionaire said that if he shuts down Starlink, "the whole Ukrainian frontline could be destroyed".

After the dispute in 2025, Moscow said: "As much as I disagree with the politics of Ukraine, Starlink will never shut down its terminals."

At the time, he added: "We would never do anything like that or use it as a bargaining chip."

The slowdown comes after Russian ballistic missiles hit Kiev for the second night in a row, killing at least nine people and damaging electricity and heating infrastructure. Zelensky said Ukraine had not received its usual warnings from Western allies for a second day, without specifying which partner.

Trump said on Tuesday that the US had not stopped sharing information.

Beskrestnov warned that the slowdown "cannot be a coincidence" after Trump agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel - despite international sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow.

Another Ukrainian official in a conversation with Ambassador Arjan accused Washington of suppressing Starlink and helping Russia.

Trump said on Saturday that Zelensky did not do enough to end the war with Russia and blamed him for high gas prices in the United States.

Last week, Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel under pressure to rein in fuel prices that have risen since the start of the US war with Iran. He told Kiev to stop attacking Russian refineries and called on Ukrainians to replace Zelensky.

In an interview with Morgan, Zelensky said: "When President Trump chooses a side, not our side, it hurts.

The Ukrainian leader explained that he is fine with Trump being in the middle between Ukraine and Russia, but "if you are in the middle, you have to stay in the middle."