Restrictions on the operation of the American Starshield satellite system, which Ukrainian military use to control drones, lead to the disruption of combat missions. According to a Ukrainian official, the situation has sharply deteriorated over three days, and in the final stage, all missions he reported ended in failure.
This is reported by Axios, citing a representative of the Ukrainian authorities.
According to the source, the restrictions intensified over three days: on the first day they were 10%, on the second - 50%, and on the third day they caused 100% of missions to be disrupted.
However, Axios does not specify which combat tasks are involved, how many operations were planned, or which military units they concerned. There is no independent confirmation of the stated figures.
The Starshield system, developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX, is a military version of the Starlink satellite communication system. Ukraine gets access to it through an agreement with the U.S. government. The technology is used, in particular, for the operation of reconnaissance drones and interceptor drones that counter Russian air attacks.
The Ukrainian authorities have appealed to the Pentagon and SpaceX demanding an explanation for the restrictions. However, according to Ukrainian representatives, as of the time they contacted journalists, they had not received official explanations from the American side.
Meanwhile, SpaceX denied information about new restrictions. In its response to Axios, company representatives stated that the reports from the Ukrainian side do not correspond to reality and that no changes in the system's operation have occurred.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported about repeated Starshield restrictions along the front line and over the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. According to him, Ukrainian military established that these are not random technical failures but systemic speed limitations that complicate the interception of Russian jet drones.
Zelenskyy also stated that due to these restrictions, Ukrainian interceptor drones in some cases failed to catch up with Russian drones, as a result of which those reached their targets.
The U.S. Congress also reacted to the situation. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, expressed serious concern over reports of Starshield restrictions and demanded a full explanation from the Trump administration and SpaceX.
This is the second case in recent weeks when Ukraine has reported problems with the military satellite system. Who exactly is responsible for the current restrictions and when the full operation of Starshield will be restored is currently unknown.
Based on materials from: Axios, Office of the President of Ukraine, Congressional Ukraine Caucus
