Congress members demand answers over new Starshield restrictions for Ukraine

“On behalf of the 105 Members of the Bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus, we are demanding a full accounting from the Trump Administration and SpaceX on how and why this occurred and immediate action to restore full access to Starshield,” the message said.

On Oct. 14, Ukrainian officials reported speed restrictions that caused the military Starshield connection to drop at speeds above 160 kph. The Telegraph reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk personally initiated the restrictions.

On Oct. 23, Trump said Musk had lifted the restrictions. By Oct. 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Starlink and Starshield were again operating at the same speeds as before the restrictions. He said media attention had helped restore full service.

Earlier on Nov. 12, Zelenskyy said that, according to briefings from Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, significant disruptions had been detected in SpaceX’s Starshield satellite system in Ukraine for several days.

The Financial Times, citing Ukrainian officials, reported that the United States may have deliberately limited the speed of Ukraine’s Starshield military communications to pressure Kyiv during talks with Russia held Nov. 10-11 in Abu Dhabi.