A Ukrainian presidential adviser says SpaceX has restricted military-grade Starlink terminals that move faster than about 100 mph (160 km/h), disrupting several Ukrainian military missions. SpaceX has not confirmed any change, and the reason for the reported restriction is unclear.
The claim comes from Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser on military technology to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who posted about it on Telegram on 14 October 2026. It was reported by the Guardian, Euronews and CNBC.
What Ukraine says happened
According to the Guardian, Beskrestnov said terminals travelling at more than 100mph and using a military version of Starlink suddenly lost connection on Tuesday evening, 13 October. Euronews and CNBC reported that the limit affects StarShield, SpaceX’s military-grade service.
“Our armed forces did not receive a warning about these restrictions and this led to the failure of a number of missions,” Beskrestnov said, as quoted by the Guardian.
Ukraine uses Starlink to guide drones to targets behind the front line, so a speed limit would mainly hit those missions, the Guardian explained. It noted there were no reports that static Starlink terminals had been cut, so soldiers’ main battlefield communications should not be affected.
Claims of a political motive
Beskrestnov linked the change to US politics. “It’s clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation,” he said. Serhii Sternenko, a Ukrainian activist with close ties to the military who first reported the outage, said: “It is likely that the company ‘SpaceX’ resorted to such measures at the request of the Trump administration.”
These are their own claims. Euronews reported that there is no independent evidence that the White House ordered the change, and that no link has been established between the reported restrictions and the diplomatic dispute.
The claims come amid tension between Washington and Kyiv. President Donald Trump has demanded that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries, the Guardian reported, and SpaceX owner Elon Musk wrote on X on Saturday that “Zelenskyy has gone too far,” according to Euronews. CNBC said it had contacted SpaceX and the White House for comment.
European rivals’ shares rise
Investors reacted quickly. Shares in European satellite operator Eutelsat, which runs the OneWeb network, rose 13.1% by 11:36 GMT, and Luxembourg’s SES rose 3.9%, Reuters reported.
“I think this is related to the US administration’s favourable Russia/unfavourable Ukraine stance that has developed in recent days, meaning no or limited access to US-owned satellite services and intelligence sharing, putting European providers back in the spotlight as potential alternatives,” Bernstein analyst Aleksander Peterc told Reuters.
Reuters also noted that switching would not be simple. Starlink has around 10,000 satellites against more than 600 for OneWeb, and moving users would mean deploying new terminals.
What this means
- It is a claim, not a confirmed change. SpaceX has said nothing publicly.
- Ukraine depends on a US company for drone operations. A speed limit could hit its drone strikes without cutting other communications.
- Europe sees an opening. Investors are betting on European satellite firms as alternatives, though they are much smaller.
Sources
- The Guardian (Andrew Roth), “Ukrainian soldiers in combat have access to Starlink satellite internet restricted”, 14 October 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/14/ukraine-soldiers-combat-access-starlink-satellite-internet-restricted
- Euronews, “Starlink terminals operations restricted in Ukraine overnight, adviser to Zelenskyy says”, 14 October 2026. https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/14/starlink-terminals-operations-restricted-in-ukraine-overnight-adviser-to-zelenskyy-says
- CNBC, “Ukraine warns Starlink limits are disrupting military operations as Russia pounds its energy infrastructure”, 14 October 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/14/russia-ukraine-energy-ceasefire-power-outages.html
- Reuters, “Eutelsat shares jump as Ukraine flags curbs on Starlink military-grade service”, 14 October 2026, via Euronext. https://live.euronext.com/en/financial-news/eutelsat-shares-jump-ukraine-flags-curbs-starlink-military-grade-service
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