Ukraine accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Wednesday of disrupting military drone missions by limiting Starlink services, as Russian strikes damaged energy facilities and left at least 600,000 people without power.
Kyiv’s relationship with Washington has deteriorated since US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel last week and publicly criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump, under pressure to lower fuel prices that have risen since he launched a war against Iran, has urged Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and said Ukrainians should replace their wartime leader.
The US president also said Ukraine and Russia had agreed to halt attacks on energy targets, although neither side confirmed the arrangement. Russian forces have continued intensive strikes, including attacks on Ukrainian power stations.
Ukrainian military officials said SpaceX had interrupted Starlink services on military-grade terminals moving at high speeds without warning, disrupting their use as navigation systems for drones.
“Our defence forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions,” Presidential Advisor Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticised Musk, whose company provides satellite internet services used by Ukrainian forces. Poland pays for Ukraine’s Starlink subscriptions.
“Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?” Sikorski wrote on X, adding that European customers were watching.
Musk did not immediately respond. SpaceX also did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside US business hours.
The apparent restrictions have fuelled Ukrainian concerns that Washington could limit battlefield support to pressure Kyiv into making concessions to Russia. Sources have told Reuters and other news organisations that the US has threatened to cut off intelligence used to provide early warning of missile strikes in Ukraine to push Kyiv to suspend attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Overnight Russian attacks struck Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, damaging power stations and leaving around 600,000 people without electricity. Zelensky said more than 30 energy facilities had been damaged.
In Kyiv, rescue workers carried injured people from the wreckage of a residential building while firefighters tackled a large blaze. Officials said two people were killed and 21 wounded at the site.
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed it had struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv, among other targets.
Ukrainian officials said they had received no warnings from Western partners for a second consecutive day before the attacks. Trump said on Tuesday that Washington was still sharing intelligence with Kyiv.
Zelensky described the strikes as a deliberate snub to Trump’s proposed halt in attacks on energy infrastructure.
“Russia does not consider the American President’s statements strong,” Zelensky wrote on X, calling the scale of the attack “ostentatious disrespect” towards the United States.
Zelensky has said Ukraine is willing to observe an energy ceasefire but would resume attacks if Russia continued striking its energy infrastructure. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that contacts over a possible truce were continuing.
Ukraine said it had shot down only four of 39 Russian missiles, highlighting pressure on its air defences amid shortages of weapons.
Starlink does not operate inside Russia, and Ukrainian drones attacking Russia’s oil industry use other communication methods. But Ukraine relies on Musk’s satellite system to guide drones over its own territory, including areas occupied by Russia.
The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, deployed in southeastern Ukraine, told Reuters that Starlink connections could drop for 10 to 20 seconds when drones travelled at speeds of just 110 to 120kph, making them harder to control.
A source in Ukraine’s defence ministry said the limitations significantly complicated logistics and some drone operations.
Since being activated over Ukraine in the early days of Russia’s invasion in 2022, Starlink has become a crucial part of Ukrainian battlefield communications. Its resistance to electronic jamming has made it important for operating long-range attack drones and drones used to deliver supplies to frontline troops.