WASHINGTON — Ukrainian officials expressed outrage on Wednesday because Elon Musk’s SpaceX unexpectedly restricted Kyiv’s access to its Starlink satellite service. This change disrupted drone operations just as Russian forces intensified their attacks on civilian sites.
The throttling limited the speed of Ukrainian drones to 100 miles per hour. A source familiar with the matter conveyed to The Post that, “This makes it impossible for UAVs, planes, and helicopters to operate at high speeds, which will complicate countering Russian Shahed drones within Ukraine.”
They further stated, “It will impact our defense operations and logistics during strikes. This gives the Russians a significant advantage right when we had effectively halted their advances and were reclaiming territories.”
Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov voiced his concerns on Telegram, indicating that, “Our defense forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, which disrupted several missions.”
The Ukrainian military has depended on Starlink for support — which Poland funds at about $50 million yearly — to defend against Russian assaults.
In a separate context, former President Trump has been urging Kyiv to refrain from attacking Russian energy sites, which use different technology, due to the surge in global energy prices.
After a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Trump revealed a plan to bring in significant amounts of diesel from Moscow to address rising costs domestically.
Trump publicly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting that Ukraine ought to consider finding a new leader. Musk later echoed this sentiment on X, remarking that “Zelensky has gone too far.”
“I agree, time for Ukraine to get a new leader,” he added a day later.
In response, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski chastised Musk on X: “Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, we are watching you.”
The throttling from Wednesday followed an unprovoked series of ballistic missile attacks by Russia on Ukraine for two consecutive nights.
Traditionally, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with warnings regarding incoming ballistic missile threats. A source for The Post remarked how unfortunate it was that this limitation coincided with “glitches” in receiving early missile attack alerts from allies.
According to Zelensky, Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and over 120 drones during these recent attacks, targeting energy infrastructure.
This onslaught resulted in approximately 600,000 people losing power, the Ukrainian president reported.
Zelensky expressed on X, “Overnight, the Russians employed 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones against our energy and critical infrastructure in Kyiv, the Kyiv region, and Kharkiv.”
He urged, “We ask America and EVERYONE in the world who does not turn a blind eye to reality to respond – and to respond forcefully. Russia has squandered the opportunity for de-escalation and has clearly chosen to continue its insane war of annihilation.”
He ended his message with a note of gratitude for those assisting Ukraine, emphasizing that peace can only be achieved through strength and invoked the principle of [Ronald] Reagan.
Ukraine currently holds a contract with Starlink through May 15, 2027, and they have reached out to the company for clarification regarding the unexpected throttling, as per the source.
