The order to restrict Ukraine’s military-grade Starshield satellite communications system came directly from inside the White House, according to a Reuters investigation published Thursday, Oct. 15, revealing that Washington moved to limit technology essential to Ukraine’s battlefield operations and defense against Russian drones.
The restrictions disrupted Ukrainian strike missions and slowed interceptor drones used to protect cities from Russian Shahed attacks – at a time when Moscow was launching hundreds of drones and missiles against Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure.
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Two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter told Reuters that Pentagon leaders received instructions from within the White House to slow the SpaceX-operated Starshield service used by Ukraine’s military.
The officials did not identify who issued the directive or who implemented it. A senior US official denied that President Donald Trump personally requested the restrictions.
“No such request was ever made by the president,” the official told Reuters.
The White House did not answer questions about whether other administration officials had issued the order.
The revelation comes amid deteriorating relations between Washington and Kyiv, with Trump demanding that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries even as Moscow continues attacking Ukrainian power plants and residential areas.
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US restrictions undermine Ukraine’s drone defenses
Ukrainian military officials reported that Starshield terminals stopped functioning when mounted on fast-moving platforms, disrupting drone guidance systems operating over Ukrainian territory.
The restrictions affected attacks on Russian military positions and logistics facilities in occupied Ukraine, while also limiting high-speed interceptor drones designed to destroy incoming Shaheds before they reach Ukrainian cities.
As Kyiv Post first reported Wednesday, Ukrainian forces experienced sudden Starshield restrictions without advance warning, with military units reporting lost connections at speeds ranging from 72 to 161 kilometers per hour (45–100 mph).
The disruptions affected interceptor drones, medium-range strike missions, reconnaissance, frontline logistics and communications relays.
By Thursday morning, Ukrainian Defense Ministry sources confirmed to Kyiv Post that connectivity while moving had been restored, although it remained unclear whether all speed restrictions had been lifted.
Ukraine is seeking to raise the operating speed limit to 450 km/h (280 mph) to allow interceptor drones to pursue faster Russian aerial threats, including jet-powered drones.
Dan Rice, president of American University Kyiv and a former special adviser to Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief, warned that such restrictions could have deadly consequences.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Rice described the scale of the threat facing Ukrainian air defenses.
“When you have 500 inbound Shaheeds, jet-powered Shaheeds, and I was hit within 400 meters twice this week,” he said, “you need to have interceptors going out to protect Ukrainian civilians.”
Rice warned that interference with high-speed interceptor operations could allow Russian drones to reach civilian targets, including schools, hospitals and residential buildings.
Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the restrictions also impaired Ukrainian drone missions against Russian military logistics and command facilities approximately 150–250 kilometers behind Russian lines.
The consequences extend beyond battlefield efficiency.
In an interview with Piers Morgan on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the restrictions had already cost Ukrainian lives.
“People are dying because of his decision,” Zelensky said.
“I’m sure that they knew what they did. Absolutely,” Zelensky said.
However, the Ukrainian leader stopped short of identifying who had ordered the restrictions.
“I don’t know, him or somebody pushed him to… I don’t know really,” Zelensky said when asked whether he was angry with Elon Musk.
“We are professionals. If you are losing the speed of Starlink, we understand what’s going on. So they switched off. That’s their decision,” he added.
Musk confirms US government controls Starshield
The controversy has also clarified who ultimately controls the military satellite system.
Starshield is a government-focused version of SpaceX’s Starlink network, developed for military and national security operations. Unlike commercial Starlink, the Starshield services at issue operate under US government control.
Elon Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive, confirmed Wednesday that restrictions on the system were a government decision.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk wrote on X.
Starshield restrictions follow US pressure to stop Russian refinery attacks
The White House directive emerged amid an increasingly bitter confrontation over Ukraine’s campaign against Russian oil infrastructure.
During eight hours of talks in Miami on Oct. 9, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner took a tough position toward Ukrainian officials, Axios reported, citing a person familiar with the discussions.
The US delegation expressed frustration that Kyiv had continued targeting Russian refineries despite repeated American requests to stop.
Washington also defended Trump’s agreement to allow more than 2.25 million barrels of Russian diesel onto US and international markets, arguing that the arrangement could encourage Moscow to soften its position in peace negotiations.
A Ukrainian official told Axios that Witkoff and Kushner threatened to cut off US intelligence sharing if Kyiv continued the attacks. A US official denied that such a threat was made.
Zelensky had offered to suspend refinery strikes if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine’s power plants, but Trump wanted Kyiv to halt its attacks unilaterally, according to the US official.
Bipartisan backlash in Congress over Trump’s Russian diesel deal
A bipartisan group of 12 US senators urged Trump to reverse the diesel agreement, warning that it would provide Moscow with additional revenues to finance its war against Ukraine.
On Thursday, 22 US lawmakers called for full enforcement of Russia sanctions ahead of an Oct. 18 deadline, targeting Moscow’s energy revenues, foreign banks and sanctions evasion networks. They also demanded that Washington revoke the authorization allowing Russian diesel transactions.
Trump has blamed Ukrainian refinery strikes for soaring energy prices, although energy analysts point primarily to the US–Israeli war with Iran and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
In an exclusive interview with Kyiv Post, former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer warned that the diesel deal would do little to lower US fuel prices while helping finance Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“American dollars will be going to purchase Russian fuel, and that’s going to help the Russian military machine buy more missiles and bombs to use against Ukraine,” Pifer said.