Ukraine reported restrictions on the operation of Starshield — the military satellite communications package of Starlink — which complicated the use of drones and the logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Who made the decision remains unclear: media point to the White House and Elon Musk, while Donald Trump denies his involvement, DW reports.
When the restrictions began
According to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, restrictions in Starshield's operation appeared on the night of October 14 and complicated communications and drone control.
As The Telegraph writes, communications are restricted if a terminal moves faster than 160 km/h. According to the newspaper's assessment, this hinders the use of drones to intercept Russian jet-powered drones and missiles.
On October 15, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense reported that terminals had been restored in field conditions. However, according to The Telegraph as of October 16, the speed limit remained in place.
Conflicting accounts on the initiator
Information about who initiated the decision diverges. Reuters, citing sources, reported that the instruction to restrict the system's operation came from the White House.
The Telegraph, citing four interlocutors, named Musk as the initiator. According to one of the newspaper's sources, the head of SpaceX proposed the idea to Trump, the president supported it, after which the Pentagon introduced the restrictions.
However, later an unnamed US official told AFP that Trump had not given such instructions.
Musk himself wrote on X on October 14 that decisions on restricting Starshield's operation are made by the US military, and ultimately by the US president.
On October 16, the US president told journalists outside the White House that he had not given orders to restrict satellite communications for Ukraine.
"I don't know if anyone did it. It wasn't me," Trump said.
He also expressed doubt that Musk made the decision. According to the president, he learned about the Starshield problems from the morning news, and as far as he knows, the system is working as before.
Thus, there is still no public confirmation of who exactly ordered the restrictions.
Kyiv's reaction
A senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously to DW, said Kyiv had not received explanations from the US regarding the restrictions.
"We view this as a signal about possible further restrictive measures," the outlet's interlocutor said.
Senators' proposal
Meanwhile, US senators proposed that Kyiv suspend strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in exchange for expanding access to Starlink by roughly 300 km deeper into Russia, The Wall Street Journal writes.
According to the outlet, Volodymyr Zelensky expressed readiness to agree to such a deal and halt strikes for 100 days. No agreement has been reported yet.