The key facts

  • On October 14, the Ukrainian military reported restrictions on Starshield — the military version of Starlink used for communication with drones
  • On October 15, Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported that the system was working again
  • No one took responsibility: Musk cites control by the US government, the Oval Office denies involvement, Senator Tillis announced a Congressional investigation

Starshield outage

On the morning of October 14, the Ukrainian military began reporting restrictions in the operation of Starshield — the military version of Starlink needed to maintain communication with high-speed aerial drones. Advisor to the President of Ukraine Serhii Beskrestnov stated that this 'cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation,' referring to the conflict between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump. On the morning of October 15, Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported that the system was working again. At the same time, no one in the US took responsibility for the Starlink shutdown.

Reaction of the parties

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called what happened a decision by the American side and 'a big mistake,' admitted that the cause could also have been a technical problem, and stated: if the attacks continue and Starlink does not work, 'people will die.' He asked to 'turn everything back on — that would be fair.' Elon Musk, head of SpaceX, stated that Starshield is controlled by the US government, and that any restrictions on speed or usage are determined by the military and the US president. An anonymous White House representative said that the administration of the US president was not involved in the Starlink outages. Officially, the White House stated that it does not answer questions about Starlink and that the president 'remains firmly committed to playing a constructive role in ending the war.'

Congressional investigation

American Senator Thom Tillis stated that he does not expect transparency from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, so Congress will launch an investigation. According to him, 'at best this is an unforgivable mistake, and at worst — a deliberate decision aimed at opening the field for a Russian strike.'