A satellite communications restriction Ukraine declared resolved less than three weeks ago has reportedly returned on the deadline a U.S. senator set for SpaceX officials to explain the original disruption, renewing questions over who controls a military service used by Ukrainian drones.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Ukrainian units had recorded systematic Starshield restrictions for several days across the front line and Russian-occupied territory. Equipment moving faster than 161 km/h, or 100 mph, was reportedly losing access to the service, according to Reuters.
Zelenskyy said the restriction prevented some Ukrainian interceptor drones from reaching speeds necessary to stop Russian jet-powered drones, allowing attacks through. Ukraine is seeking an explanation from the US.
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On October 24, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence announced that its monitoring systems had recorded stable Starlink and Starshield connectivity at movement speeds exceeding 400 km/h. The government presented the change as a restoration following restrictions imposed in mid-October.
Prior, Senator Richard Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, demanded SpaceX records about the October interruption and the company’s authority to change Starshield access.
His letter to CEO Elon Musk requested written answers by November 5 and a briefing from officials familiar with the restriction no later than November 12. It asked who could activate, limit, geofence, or terminate the service under Pentagon contracts, and whether SpaceX could make changes without authorization.
“The events in Ukraine show how a single point of control can be turned against the forces that depend on it,” Blumenthal wrote.
The original restrictions produced competing accounts of responsibility. Reuters reported in October, citing unnamed officials, that the order originated inside the White House. The Wall Street Journal separately reported that Musk ordered the slowdown. Trump denied responsibility, while Musk maintained that the US government controlled Starshield usage limits.
Blumenthal’s inquiry also sought contract values, communications with government officials, and information about the Defense Department’s dependence on the network.
The recurrence leaves two questions unanswered: whether Ukraine can rely on the restoration of its satellite links, and who has the authority to change access to the US-funded service.
