A bipartisan group of US senators has asked the Department of Defense inspector general to investigate sudden restrictions on SpaceX’s Starlink service in Ukraine that reportedly occurred between 12 and 14 October. Led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the letter names specific concerns that imposed speed limits - reportedly capping connectivity to about 100 mph (160 km/h) - which caused faster drones to lose links and allegedly degraded Ukraine’s ability to guide drones, share intelligence, and receive threat warnings. Senators say outages and “glitches” left US diplomatic, military and security personnel unable to reach designated bunkers during air raids, and argue the incidents require immediate scrutiny because of their potentially deadly consequences.
The dispute has involved competing assertions about responsibility and motive. Elon Musk suggested elements of Starlink used for military customers, known as Starshield, are controlled by the US government and implied Washington might have ordered limits; a US official denied any such request from President Trump. Ukraine’s president said service is being restored but not yet at pre-disruption levels and accused the US of withholding intelligence to pressure Kyiv over strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. The senators seek to determine whether US defence bodies or contractors played a role in the reported slowdowns.
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