# Ukraine accuses SpaceX of crippling military as Trump tensions rise

> Starlink speed limits disrupt drone operations as Ukraine loses intelligence warnings on Russian missile strikes.
- Title: Ukraine accuses SpaceX of crippling military as Trump…
- Summary: Starlink speed limits disrupt drone operations as Ukraine loses intelligence warnings on Russian missile strikes. Ukraine says SpaceX has restricted Starlink…
- Keywords: ukraine, starlink, spacex, elon musk, donald trump, russia, military communications, intelligence sharing, kyiv, volodymyr zelenskyy, politics, news
- Source: NBC News — https://nbcnews.com/world/ukraine/ukraine-starlink-restrictions-military-intel-trump-zelenskyy-russia-rcna603412
- Author: Abigail Williams
- Published: 2026-10-14T12:51:09.577+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: ukraine, starlink, spacex, elon musk, donald trump, russia, military communications, intelligence sharing, kyiv, volodymyr zelenskyy, politics, news
## Starlink speeds cut overnight
SpaceX introduced speed limits on Starlink satellite internet terminals overnight, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's defense tech adviser, Serhii Beskrestnov.
## No warning given to Ukraine
Ukrainian defense forces received no warning of the restrictions, and Serhii Beskrestnov said the timing could not be a coincidence given current political tensions.

> Our defence forces received no warning of such a restriction, and this led to the failure of a number of missions.
## Drone operations disrupted
The seven-thousand-th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Ukrainian air assault forces said it began noticing Starlink connectivity problems caused by data transfer speed limits overnight.
## Drones harder to control
The seven-thousand-th Rapid Reaction Corps said changes directly affected drones using Starlink for in-flight control, making them harder to operate during missions.

> The drones kept flying, but the interruptions made them harder to control.
## Speed restrictions above one hundred mph
Serhii Beskrestnov said restrictions were specifically put on the operation of the military-grade version of Starlink at speeds above one hundred miles per hour.
## Starlink critical for air defense
Starlink was key for Ukraine's aerial defenses as it was used to intercept the jet-powered drones that Moscow has unleashed on Ukrainian cities in recent months.
## No response from SpaceX
Ukraine has reached out to the U.S. government and SpaceX for clarification on the rationale for the new restrictions but has yet to receive a response.
## Missiles strike without warning
Ukraine said it received no advance warning from allies about two Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv this week, causing confusion among military and government officials.
## First strike blamed on glitch
After the first Russian attack Monday, when five ballistic missiles struck civilian infrastructure without advance notice, two Ukrainian officials told NBC News it was a technical issue in U.S. intelligence sharing.
## Second strike reason unclear
After the second attack Tuesday, Ukrainian and European officials said the reason for no advance warning was less clear, with one official saying it did not look like a coincidence.

> We didn't receive warning for a second time, and this doesn't look like a coincidence.
## Trump denies withholding intel
Trump denied withholding information critical to Ukraine's defense, despite reported threats to cut off U.S. intelligence if Kyiv failed to stop attacks on Russian refineries.

> We are helping them and we are sharing intel.
## Trump pushes energy ceasefire
Trump demanded Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries and announced an energy ceasefire that neither warring side appears to have agreed to.
## Russia ignores ceasefire
Kyiv said it refrained from striking Russian energy targets to respect Trump's wishes, but the Kremlin continued hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure as winter approaches.
## Six hundred thousand without power
Zelenskyy said at least six hundred thousand people across Ukraine were without power Wednesday after the latest wave of Russian attacks, violating Trump's announced energy truce.
## Europe questions Musk's motives
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski criticized Elon Musk on X, asking if he was playing politics with his products and warning that European customers were watching.

> Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?
## Key takeaway

Ukraine says SpaceX has restricted Starlink speeds, disrupting military drone operations, while losing advance warning of Russian missile attacks amid tensions with the Trump administration.