The key facts

  • Senators from both parties requested a review of the role of US authorities in the Starlink and Starshield restrictions in Ukraine
  • The Pentagon's Inspector General refused to conduct the investigation, raising concerns in Congress
  • Musk confirmed the restrictions, citing a violation of the terms of use; the outages began on the night of October 14

Refusal to conduct a review

The Pentagon's Inspector General refused to conduct a review requested by nine senators — four Republicans and five Democrats — who asked to determine whether American officials were involved in restrictions on the Starlink and Starshield communications systems used by Ukraine. This was reported by Kun.uz, citing the DW agency, and the DW material is also available separately.

What the senators wanted to find out

In their letter, the senators asked to verify whether the Pentagon or other US government representatives had issued directives regarding intelligence sharing with Ukraine, early warning capabilities, and changes to the operation of Starlink and Starshield services. They were also interested in whether such changes had been coordinated with, approved by, or known to officials.

Reaction in Congress

A congressional staffer who spoke with AP on condition of anonymityinterpreted the Inspector General's response as a refusal to conduct a review. According to the agency, the situation raised concerns among lawmakers that the Pentagon and its independent oversight body are unwilling to confront Elon Musk's influence over defense communications.

Musk confirms the restrictions

On October 24, Elon Musk confirmed that SpaceX had imposed restrictions on Starlink's operation in Ukraine, citing a violation of the terms of use and accusing the Ukrainian armed forces of using the system to strike attacking drones. He also emphasized that Starshield is a separate system under US government control, and that Washington determines the rules for its use. The same day, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal — as reported by Yevhen Khmara — announced that Starlink and Starshield connectivity was again working while moving at speeds above 400 km/h.

Timeline of the outages

The problems began on the night of October 14, when Starshield terminals started losing connectivity while moving at high speed. The next day the system's operation was restored, but disruptions were soon recorded again. In October, Ukrainian officials had already reported that restrictions on Starlink and the military Starshield were affecting the ability to intercept Russian drones flying at high speed.