Musk suggests US govt behind any slowdown in Ukraine's Starshield system — SkimNews
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- Ukraine accused the US of failing to warn of incoming Russian missile strikes and slowing its battlefield satellite network, with a senior Kyiv official telling AFP 'it's obvious they are helping Russia for some reason.'
- Elon Musk said Starshield — which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications — is 'owned and controlled by the US government,' with any speed or usage limits decided by the US military and 'ultimately POTUS,' drawing a distinction between Starshield and the civilian Starlink system.
- Zelenskyy called on Musk to restore service and told Piers Morgan he felt 'betrayed' after Trump announced a diesel-supply deal with heavily sanctioned Moscow, adding: 'It's painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side.'
- Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Starlink operation at speeds up to 160kmh was being restored, enough for strike and interceptor drones to fly again.
- Trump denied threatening to stop providing intelligence about Russian missile launches that Ukraine uses to thwart attacks, despite a senior Ukrainian source saying those threats had been made in recent days.
- Fifteen people were killed in strikes that hit power plants in the eastern Kharkiv region and struck Zhytomyr, Sumy and Chernigiv, as ballistic missiles hit Kyiv for two consecutive nights before air raid sirens could sound.
Why it matters: Ukraine is publicly accusing its main military backer of aiding Russia through withheld missile warnings and throttled Starshield access, with Musk pinning direct responsibility on the US military and POTUS. The Kremlin said it is watching for any shift in Washington's backing — a shift that, if confirmed, would coincide with diesel-supply contracts being signed in coming days.
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