Kyiv has said its forces continue to face speed restrictions on Starlink's satellite communications system as a chart shows how Ukrainian strikes suddenly dropped when the network was slowed down.
The graphic by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its latest update shows how Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian vehicles dropped significantly on October 14, when Kyiv announced that the Starlink system had been squeezed.
There is a lack of clarity on who ordered the speed restrictions for Starlink's military grade version, Starshield, with its founder Elon Musk saying that they ultimately fall under the authority of the U.S. military and President Donald Trump, both of whom have denied responsibility.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Musk had ordered the slowdown, sparking panic in Kyiv and confusion inside the Trump administration, according to unnamed officials cited by the paper.
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The restrictions "severely impair Ukraine’s high-speed interceptor drones and long-range UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) precisely as Western intelligence access faces political friction," Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of the charity Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and Starlink's parent company SpaceX for comment.
How Has the Starlink Slowdown Hurt Ukraine?
Starshield is a military-oriented version of the Starlink satellite network that SpaceX designed for government use and has been key to Ukraine's war efforts.
Ukrainian drone pilots suddenly found on October 14 that their UAVs could only fly at up to half their previous speeds, with speeds limited to only 100 miles per hour.
The velocity restrictions inhibited not only Ukrainian strikes but also some defenses against Russian jet-powered drones.
"Restricted terminal connectivity and narrowed intelligence windows have hampered Ukraine's ability to intercept incoming Russian loitering munitions, resulting in increased strikes on civilian infrastructure, apartments, and municipal centers," Boyechko said.
The graphic by the ISW shows the dramatic effect on Ukraine's war effort, with strikes on Russian vehicles more than halving on October 14 to less than 50 compared with the previous day.
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The Washington, DC think tank's data shows how since July, Ukraine's daily strike rate had regularly been between 100 and 150, even topping 200 earlier in October.
This number has crept back to over 50 in the last few days, but there are mixed messages over whether the system was fully operational again.
Citing a Ukrainian defense ministry source, the Kyiv Independent reported on October 15, that connectivity for Starlink systems had "been restored and remains operational."
However, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor on Defense Technologies Serhiy Beskrestnov said on Sunday that in-motion speed restrictions to Ukraine’s satellite internet service as part of Starshield remained in place.
Boyechko told Newsweek these restrictions have also meant that front-line casualty evacuation teams and emergency responders have lost live signal feeds along active corridors, "directly delaying critical medical transport under fire."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the slowdown and has also accused the U.S. of pausing intelligence for Ukrainian forces, criticism which was rejected by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Representative Eugene Vindman (D-VA) told CNN that he did not believe Rubio's claims that intelligence had not been paused calling them "outright boldface lies, they're unacceptable. They're causing deaths in Ukraine."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Tony Phillips.