Ukrainian troops lose Starlink access for a day; Musk and White House deny responsibility
On the morning of October 14, Ukrainian soldiers reported restrictions on Starshield, the military version of Starlink used to stay in contact with drones. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on October 15 that it was working again, but nobody in the US has accepted responsibility.
Ukrainian soldiers began reporting restrictions on Starshield on the morning of October 14. Starshield is the military version of the Starlink satellite network, which is essential for keeping contact with fast-moving drones. By the morning of October 15, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said the system was operating again. No one on the US side has taken responsibility for the outage.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said the move could not be a coincidence and was linked to the current political situation. He was referring to the conflict between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
Competing accounts
Zelensky said it was someone's decision and a big mistake that would cost many lives. He argued that people would die if attacks continued while Starlink was down. He said he hoped it was an error, possibly a huge technical problem, and asked for the service to be switched back on.
Elon Musk, head of SpaceX, the company that operates Starlink, said Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. In his words, any limits on speed or usage are set by the US military and ultimately by the US president.
The White House, speaking anonymously, said the administration had nothing to do with the disruptions. Officially, it declined to answer questions about Starlink and said the president and his team remain committed to a constructive role in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.
US Senator Thom Tillis said he does not expect transparency from Defense Secretary Hegseth, so he will ask the Defense Department's Inspector General to open an investigation and report to Congress and the public. He said that at best this was an unacceptable error or lapse, and at worst a conscious decision to clear the field for a Russian attack.
