Ukrainian military operations face two simultaneous disruptions: Starlink's satellite terminals began imposing speed restrictions that disrupted drone operations, and Kyiv received no advance warning of a Russian missile attack on energy infrastructure.
Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian drone units started experiencing signal failures at speeds above 160 km/h on Wednesday morning, according to military personnel and senior Ukrainian officials. The 7th Rapid Response Corps of Ukraine's air assault forces said the restrictions affected Starshield, SpaceX's military-grade satellite network, which had previously imposed no data transmission speed limits. Drone pilots reported connection drops lasting 10 to 20 seconds even at lower speeds of 110 to 120 kph. The restrictions complicated drone control during takeoffs and made aircraft more vulnerable to Russian air defenses. Some missions were cancelled as a result.
A senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times that "logistics at the frontline and middle strikes are badly limited" and that the restrictions came "with no warning, just in the middle of the night." Ukraine's middle strikes target Russian military supply lines. Ukrainian defense ministry adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said long-range drone operations and Ukraine's ability to defend against Russia's jet-powered drones were both impacted, since Starlink powers interceptors being developed for that purpose. Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram that the action "is clear that this action is not coincidental and is related to the current political situation."
Some Ukrainian officials speculate SpaceX introduced the restrictions at the request of the Trump administration. This follows Elon Musk posting messages critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week, specifically responding to Trump's demand that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries.
Separately, Zelenskyy said Ukraine received "no early warning from our partners" before Russian forces launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones against energy and critical infrastructure overnight. He said Ukraine's systems detected the missiles only as they approached Kyiv. Russian strikes damaged 26 power system facilities and four oil and gas facilities. At least 600,000 people lost electricity, and at least two people were killed with more than 20 injured.
The White House, SpaceX, and Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Trump denied cutting off intelligence sharing with Ukraine, stating "We are helping them, we are sharing intel."
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski posted on X, asking Musk if he was "playing politics with your products again."