- US President Donald Trump claimed that Elon Musk had restored access to Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink, but Ukrainian officials said restrictions remain.
- A Ukrainian Defense Ministry source said there is no confirmation that restrictions have been lifted, and signal loss is still observed for military ordnance travelling above 100 miles per hour (161 km per hour).
- A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer confirmed speed limits remain, causing coordination difficulties and connection drops of 10 to 15 seconds, and noted significant losses of drones.
- A third source said restored access is clearly not enough to intercept jet-powered drones launched by Russia, and Ukraine is awaiting clarification from the US side.
- For more than a week, restrictions have disrupted military ordnance moving at high speeds, hindering interceptor drones and upending Ukrainian military operations.
- Trump and his officials denied making the call to throttle Starshield, while Musk denied unilateral action, pointing to the US military and POTUS.
- Trump declined to say whether he personally requested the restoration, stating, “Whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference”.
- Ukrainian officials reported no lifting of restrictions, with an adviser to the Ukrainian President stating, “At this time, we are not observing any lifting of restrictions on Starlink.”
Trump's assertion that Elon Musk restored Ukraine's access to Starshield has been met with skepticism from Ukrainian officials, who report ongoing restrictions that hinder military operations.1
Ukrainian Defense Ministry sources confirmed that no lifting of restrictions has occurred, with reports of signal loss for military ordnance traveling above 100 miles per hour.8
“At this time, we are not observing any lifting of restrictions on Starlink,” said Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian President.
The restrictions have complicated military coordination, with reports of connection drops lasting up to 15 seconds. “We lost a lot of assets, much more than usual,” a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer stated, highlighting the impact on reconnaissance drones.
A source familiar with the situation noted that any restored access is “clearly not enough to intercept jet-powered drones” launched by Russia.4
Trump did not clarify whether he personally requested the restoration, stating, “Whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference.”
Musk, meanwhile, attributed any limitations to decisions made by the US military, asserting, “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
As Ukraine awaits further clarification from the US, the situation remains tense, with ongoing challenges in military communications and operations.
“Ukrainian officials report no lifting of restrictions, with an adviser saying, "At this time, we are not observing any lifting of restrictions on Starlink." A Defense Ministry source notes signal loss persists for ordnance above 100 mph, and an officer says connection drops of 10-15 seconds have caused significant drone losses.”
