Starlink service to Ukrainian forces restricted amid Trump pressure on strikes

Ukrainian military forces experienced sudden restrictions to their Starlink satellite internet access on Tuesday evening, October 14, 2026, according to military advisers and officials. Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser on military technology to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reported that Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian soldiers lost connectivity and that terminal speeds were artificially limited to 160 km/h (approximately 100 mph), disrupting multiple combat operations. The restrictions occurred as the Trump administration has intensified pressure on Ukraine to cease long-range strikes against Russia's oil industry.

The timing of the outage coincided with a major Russian military assault. On the same evening, Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and 120 attack drones against Kyiv and Kharkiv, striking power plants and electrical substations and leaving approximately 600,000 people without power, according to Zelenskyy. Ukrainian officials noted that the U.S. did not provide advance warning of the Russian strikes, a practice it had maintained for years. Serhii Sternenko, a political activist with military ties, stated that "it is likely that the company SpaceX resorted to such measures at the request of the Trump administration."

Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX and an ally of Trump, had previously cut off Starlink service to Ukrainian forces during a military offensive. Trump has stated that he wants Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, which he has blamed for elevated diesel costs, though analysts attribute larger impacts on energy prices to other factors including closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on October 14 that there have been no official statements from the U.S. government on the Starlink slowdown, urging caution in drawing conclusions. Peskov acknowledged "scattered information" but stressed the need for more specific evidence before making assumptions. He noted that Washington has also made statements indicating assistance to Ukraine continues, and called for waiting for more concrete information rather than speculating.

Dmitry Kuzyakin, an unmanned aviation expert at Russia's Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, characterized the Starlink restrictions as part of broader U.S. pressure on Ukraine, stating that the U.S. is "reducing the amount of intelligence data transmitted, cutting back on arms supplies" and "artificially degrading Starlink satellite communications" to test Ukraine's "strength and flexibility."