Ukrainian officials accused SpaceX on Wednesday of throttling Starlink satellite services. This disrupted military operations and left Kyiv vulnerable to deadly attacks, as an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that services had been limited without warning for terminals travelling over 100 miles per hour.
Writing on Telegram, defence technology adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said Ukraine was deprived of one of the few chances to defend itself from Shahed drones. Frontline logistics and long-distance missions were also disrupted by the speed restrictions.
The restriction of Starlink terminals drew sharp criticism from Poland, which funds Ukrainian Starlink subscriptions on Kyiv’s behalf. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski posted on social media to question whether Musk was playing politics with his products again.
Sikorski wrote, "Hey Elon Musk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, we are watching you."
The remark referenced a public dispute between Musk, Sikorski and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in 2025. During that clash, Musk told Sikorski to be quiet on his X platform after warning that Ukraine’s entire frontline could collapse if Starlink was switched off.
Musk stated previously that Starlink would never turn off its terminals or use them as a bargaining chip, regardless of disagreements over Ukraine policy. The recent slowdown coincided with Russian ballistic missiles striking Kyiv for the second night in a row, killing at least nine people and damaging power and heating infrastructure.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine did not receive its usual warnings from Western allies, though he did not name specific partners. United States President Donald Trump said the US had not stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv.
Beskrestnov warned that the slowdown cannot be a coincidence following a deal between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel despite international sanctions. Another Ukrainian official accused Washington of throttling Starlink and helping Russia in comments to AFP.
On Saturday, Trump suggested Zelenskyy had not done enough to end the war with Russia and blamed the Ukrainian leader for high diesel prices inside the United States.
