Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski warned Elon Musk on Wednesday, Oct. 14, that European customers were watching his actions after reports that unexpected Starlink restrictions disrupted Ukrainian military operations.
“Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, we are watching you,” Sikorski wrote on X.
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His comments followed Ukrainian reports that some Starlink terminals had begun losing connectivity while moving at high speed, interfering with drone missions.
Ukraine says restrictions arrived without warning
Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, a presidential adviser on defense technology, said on Telegram that SpaceX introduced the restrictions overnight without notifying Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
According to Beskrestnov, the limit affected the Starshield military service package and applied to terminals moving above 100 miles per hour, or approximately 160 kilometers per hour. He said several missions were disrupted and linked the change to the political situation. That explanation has not been independently established.
Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Reaction Corps told Reuters that it had observed connections dropping for 10-20 seconds at speeds of just 110-120 kilometers per hour (68-75 miles per hour). The drones continued flying, but the interruptions made them harder to control and forced units to cancel some missions.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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Starlink Restrictions Disrupt Ukraine’s Drone Strike Operations
Ukrainian Defense Ministry sources say connectivity problems detected overnight are hampering logistics and drone operations. The apparent cutoff of users moving above 160 kph (100mph) remains under investigation.
Another clash over Ukraine’s Starlink access
Sikorski’s mocking address recalls his March 2025 dispute with Musk over the reliability of Starlink for Ukraine.
At the time, Sikorski said Poland paid approximately $50 million annually for Ukraine’s access and would seek another supplier if SpaceX proved unreliable.
“Be quiet, small man,” Musk replied. He subsequently said Starlink would never switch off Ukraine’s terminals, regardless of his disagreements over policy.
European leaders have also pressed Musk to expand Ukraine’s access. In September, Finnish President Alexander Stubb urged him to enable Starlink coverage around Russian ballistic missile launchers, arguing that helping Ukraine destroy them before launch could save civilian lives.
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