Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago2 min read
Starshield Throttling Makes Ukraine Drones Fall, Halts Operations Against Russian Targets
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Starshield disruption cut video feeds, causing armed Ukrainian drones to crash. Drones worth over $1 million were lost.
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One story. Different accounts.
“Zelenskyy believes Musk throttled Starshield at the request of U.S. officials, though the world's richest man has denied any role”
“Musk said he did not issue the directive, posting on X shortly after the slowdown became public that ‘any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military”
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Starshield throttling disrupts drones
Ukraine reported that Starshield throttling caused its drones to stop midflight and fall out of the sky, leaving troops vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Ukraine’s military began experiencing sudden difficulties with Starshield equipment on Oct. 13, and Ukrainian soldiers said “speed limits” were imposed on their use of SpaceX’s Starshield internet dishes.
A senior Ukrainian commander, Oleh, said that “dozens of armed drones were heading towards Russian military targets” when their video feeds went fuzzy, and he said many drones simply fell from the sky.
Oleh said the disruption forced his units to halt almost all operations for the next three days, including strikes on Russian command posts and fuel hubs.
CBS News reported that as of Wednesday afternoon, Starlink remained throttled, and Zelenskyy’s office confirmed the service was still throttled.
Competing claims and quotes
Zelenskyy said the maximum speed was still 161 km/hr, and Zelenskyy told Fox News on Wednesday that the service was "still limited".
Marco Rubio told Zelenskyy he would "work with his team on this to unblock" it, while Rubio rejected claims that the US had withheld warnings about incoming Russian attacks.
Elon Musk denied any role, posting on X that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately” the president of the United States.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said, “If it is one man who is dictating our foreign policy, then he puts the United States at enormous risk,” as lawmakers called for answers about who ordered the slowdown.
Scott Bessent told NBC’s Meet the Press that Trump and Rubio had “categorically said that no one in the Trump administration did that,” and he called it “very reckless” for Zelensky to make such an allegation.
Operational and political stakes
The disruption cost Ukraine more than $1 million in weaponry, and Oleh said the effect cost his units more than $1 million worth of weaponry. Newsweek said an Institute for the Study of War chart showed Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian vehicles dropped significantly on October 14, when Kyiv announced that the Starlink system had been squeezed. Hope for Ukraine CEO Yuriy Boyechko said the restrictions “severely impair Ukraine’s high-speed interceptor drones and long-range UAVs,” and he linked the impact to Western intelligence access facing political friction.
The Pentagon denied playing a role, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters Tuesday, “We haven’t pulled anything back,” while he pointed to terms of service that allow Starlink to make decisions. Ukrainian officials feared the restrictions were politically motivated, and the New York Times said they feared the Trump administration ordered the disruptions to punish Ukraine over its strikes on Russian oil refineries and to force Kyiv to capitulate in the war.
