Zelenskyy: US Blocked Starshield to Pressure Ukraine — SkimNews
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- Ukraine's military lost Starshield satellite communications for two days (Tuesday-Wednesday) during Russian strikes involving 100+ drones and five ballistic missiles, with service now restored per a Ukrainian Ministry of Defence source.
- SpaceX imposed a 100mph (160km/h) speed cap on Starlink terminals without warning, causing any drones or missiles flying faster to lose guidance — resulting in 'the failure of a number of missions,' per Zelenskyy defence adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov.
- Elon Musk denied SpaceX involvement and wrote on X that 'Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,' adding that 'any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.'
- President Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that US officials had warned Washington would block intelligence unless Ukraine halted attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, calling the outage 'not a technical problem; it was the will.'
- President Trump has pressured Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries, blaming those attacks for rising global fuel prices ahead of November midterm elections, and unilaterally announced an 'energy ceasefire' that neither Kyiv nor Moscow confirmed.
- Ukraine subsequently resumed attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, with Zelenskyy telling the FT 'We're done' — while Russian strikes have continued, including Wednesday attacks that left 600,000 Ukrainians without power.
- Musk has hardened his stance against Kyiv, writing on Wednesday that 'the slaughter continues' and 'Time for Zelensky to go,' echoing a 2022 proposal for Kyiv to cede Crimea and abandon NATO membership.
Why it matters: Musk's statement confirms Washington — not a private company — holds direct kill-switch authority over Ukraine's battlefield satellite link, giving the US an explicit coercive lever over Kyiv's military operations. Zelenskyy says that lever was brandished to force Ukraine to stop hitting Russian oil refineries, which Trump has tied to midterm-driven anger over fuel prices. The episode escalates US leverage into operational interference just as Russian strikes are knocking out Ukrainian power for hundreds of thousands of civilians.
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