SpaceX restricted the operation of the military version of Starlink in Ukraine on orders from the White House, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources. The sources did not specify who issued the order.
One senior official told Reuters the order did not come from the U.S. president but did not provide further details.
Ukrainian officials and military began reporting problems with Starshield — the military version of Starlink — on the morning of October 14, amid a crisis in relations between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian military officials said some missions were disrupted because of the restrictions.
SpaceX head Elon Musk announced that the Starshield systems are owned and controlled by U.S. authorities. The White House has not officially announced restrictions on Starlink in Ukraine. Sources who spoke to Axios insisted that the U.S. president’s administration has nothing to do with the restrictions.
On the morning of October 15, Ukrainian media, citing military officials, reported that Starshield’s operations for the Ukrainian armed forces had fully resumed.
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