White House orders curbs on Starshield satellite use in Ukraine, media report

The White House has ordered the US Department of Defense to restrict the operation of the Starshield satellite system in Ukraine, the news agency Reuters reports.

Ukraine's armed forces use the system for communications at the front and for drone attacks on Russian territory. Any restrictions could therefore affect both battlefield communications and Ukraine's ability to carry out drone strikes.

Reuters bases its report on three anonymous sources: two US government officials and an official from an unnamed Western country. The report as relayed here gives no details on the type or scale of the restrictions, or when they would take effect. No official comment from the White House or the Defense Department is mentioned in the source text.

Because the information rests on anonymous sources, no official confirmation has been cited so far.