Ukraine said Elon Musk's SpaceX had limited its satellite services yesterday (14 Septenber), hampering Ukrainian drones for attack missions and air defences, as relations between Kyiv and Washington have taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Russia rained more missiles and drones down on Ukrainian cities, knocking out electricity for hundreds of thousands of people in attacks President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "ostentatious disrespect" to Donald Trump's call for an energy ceasefire.
The US president publicly turned on Zelenskiy in recent days after abruptly lifting sanctions on Russian diesel last week, under political pressure to lower fuel prices that have soared since he launched a war against Iran. He has called on Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian refineries, and said Ukrainians should replace their wartime leader.
"It's painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side," Zelenskiy told Piers Morgan Uncensored. He said that he was OK with Trump being in the middle of Ukraine and Russia, but added: "If you are in the middle, you have to stay in the middle."
Asked about the restriction on the military version of SpaceX's Starlink services in Ukraine, Zelenskiy said: "It's a big mistake ... this decision will bring a lot of human losses." He did not say who was responsible.
Trump announced at the weekend that Ukraine and Russia both agreed to halt attacks on energy targets, although neither side confirmed this and the past two days have seen intensive Russian bombing, including of Ukrainian power stations.
After a night of bombardment of the capital Kyiv, Russian strikes continued throughout the day on Wednesday with six people killed in the western city of Lutsk, where the regional governor said a warehouse and a residential building were hit.
Ukraine, for its part, continued long-range strikes on Russia, hitting Russia's biggest data centre, although it says it is holding back from hitting energy targets for now to show respect for Trump.
No warning before Starlink cuts
Ukrainian military officials said Musk's SpaceX had without warning started to interrupt functioning of its military-grade terminals when they are moving at high speed.
Kyiv installs SpaceX receptors in many of its drones as part of their onboard guidance systems. The terminals operate across Ukraine, including in territory held by Russian forces.
"Our defence forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions," presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram, saying the restriction affected StarShield, SpaceX's military and intelligence service.
The speed cutoff hampers Ukraine's ability to conduct strikes on Russian targets inside Ukraine, or to defend itself from Russian drones using its own interceptor drones, according to a defence ministry source and another military source.
Beskrestnov said SpaceX had imposed a speed limit of 160 km per hour. The defence ministry source told Reuters military units had reported guidance systems losing their connections at speeds of less than half that.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The defence ministry source said Ukraine was in contact with the company as well as the US government and NATO to seek clarification over the sudden limitations.
The suggestion that Musk's company had limited Ukrainian military capabilities drew a sharp response from Poland, which pays for Ukrainian Starlink subscriptions on Kyiv's behalf.
"Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?" Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski asked Musk on X. "As your European customers, we are watching you."
There was no immediate response from Musk, who in the past has called Sikorski a "small man".
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Shares in European satellite operator Eutelsat (ETL.PA), which is seen as Europe's best shot at taking on Starlink, jumped on Wednesday as some investors bet that European providers could benefit from growing strains between Washington and Kyiv.
Musk is a close political ally of Trump, and the suggestion that SpaceX might limit Ukrainian capabilities reinforced wider Ukrainian concerns that Washington could withhold battlefield support to compel its one-time ally to make concessions.
Sources have told Reuters and other media that the US has threatened to cut off intelligence for early warning of missile strikes on Ukraine, to press Kyiv to suspend attacks on Russian oil refineries.
No warning ahead of missiles
Rescue workers in Kyiv were stretchering the injured from the wreckage of a blasted-out residential building overnight, while firefighters battled a huge blaze in the darkness. Officials said 2 people were killed and 21 wounded at the site.
Some 600,000 people were left without power as Russian missiles careened into power stations during hours of attacks that primarily targeted Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
Russia's defence ministry confirmed it had struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv, among other targets. Zelenskiy said 30 energy facilities were damaged.
Ukrainian officials said late on Tuesday they had received no warnings from Western partners for a second day before Russian missiles hit the capital. Trump had insisted on Tuesday that Washington was still sharing intelligence.
Zelenskiy cast the latest Russian attacks as a deliberate snub to Trump's declaration of a ceasefire on energy targets.
"Russia does not consider the American President's statements strong," Zelenskiy wrote on X. "The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale – Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States."
Zelenskiy has said Ukraine is willing to observe an energy ceasefire and has not targeted Russian refineries since Trump announced it, but will not continue to hold back if Russia ignores the purported truce. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that contacts were continuing about an energy truce.
Ukraine reported downing just 4 out of 39 Russian missiles, reflecting Kyiv's weakened air defences against fast-moving ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones amid a shortage of weapons.