Senators demand investigation

A bipartisan group of US senators has written to the defence department inspector general demanding an urgent investigation into Starlink disruptions in Ukraine.

Speed restrictions hit drones

On Tuesday night, Ukraine restricted how fast drones could fly while maintaining Starlink internet connection. SpaceX limited speeds to one hundred mph, meaning faster weapons lost connectivity.

Senators express grave concern

The letter, led by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, says restrictions between October twelve and fourteen reportedly degraded Ukraine's ability to conduct defensive operations against Russian drone and missile attacks.

“restrictions reportedly degraded Ukraine's ability to conduct defensive operations against Russian drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure”

Musk points to US military

Elon Musk wrote on X that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government and that speed limits are decided by the US military and ultimately the president.

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately [the US president]”

US denies involvement

A US official told the BBC that no such request was ever made by President Donald Trump to restrict Starlink speeds in Ukraine.

“no such request was ever made by the president [Donald Trump]”

Zelensky says speeds still restoring

On Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky told a news conference in Brussels that Starlink services were still being restored. He said speeds had not been fully restored to previous levels.

“Has the speed been fully restored to what it was before? No. Is the speed being restored now? Yes”