Starshield Slowed for Ukraine: Receivers Stopped Working Above 100 MPH, Officials Say
The U.S. military-grade satellite internet service Starshield, used by Ukraine’s armed forces to guide drones, was slowed down, according to a Reuters report carried by Defense News on October 16, 2026. Ukrainian officials said the change disrupted strikes on Russian forces and logistics in occupied territory, as well as interceptor drones meant to down Russian Shahed drones.
Ukrainian officials told Reuters that Starshield receivers stopped working properly once they were mounted on fast-moving objects. They said this directly affected drones that rely on the connection for guidance, limiting their effectiveness in the field.
A Ukrainian Defence Ministry official later specified that the receivers continued to function while in motion, but only up to 100 miles per hour, or roughly 160 kilometers per hour. Above that speed, according to the official, the connection no longer worked reliably.
Two U.S. officials and a Western official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the order to slow the service for Ukraine came from inside the White House. According to these sources, Defense Department leaders received a message indicating that Starshield service for Ukraine needed to be slowed. The sources did not specify who within the White House made or carried out that decision.
A senior U.S. official told Reuters, “No such request was ever made by the president.” The White House did not respond to questions about whether other officials might have made such a request.
A senior Ukrainian official said Kyiv was told that the move was a White House decision. The Pentagon is Starshield’s largest customer, and according to Reuters’ 2024 reporting, the Defense Department has spent billions of dollars on Starlink and Starshield, including dedicated satellites for missile warning and a spy satellite constellation operated with the National Reconnaissance Office.
The dispute traces back to an October 9 meeting in Miami attended by Ukrainian, European and World Bank representatives. Sources said Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff took a hard line at that meeting, telling attendees that Washington was frustrated by Ukraine’s continued strikes on Russian oil refineries.
In the days that followed, the U.S. administration explained a decision to strike a diesel deal with Russia, described as an effort to soften Moscow’s position in peace negotiations. Some U.S. lawmakers criticized the arrangement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the U.S. decision “weak,” while President Donald Trump called for Ukrainian elections and for Zelenskiy’s removal.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, October 14 and 15, Ukrainian officials sought answers from the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon about the Starshield restrictions. On Wednesday, Elon Musk wrote on X that because the U.S. government owns and controls Starshield, it is the military or the president who decides on speed or usage limits.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry official confirmed that receivers were working while in motion, but capped at 100 miles per hour. Separately, Reuters reported that U.S. officials had threatened to stop sharing intelligence on Russian missile launches with Ukraine; Trump said on Tuesday that intelligence sharing had continued.
Trump has pressed Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian refineries, linking the strikes to high energy prices that he says are hurting Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections. Experts cited by Reuters, however, attribute the surge in energy prices mainly to the separate U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which triggered Iranian attacks on energy facilities and largely closed the Strait of Hormuz.
SpaceX, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ukrainian embassy did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Sources
Defense News / Reuters, “Order to limit Starshield for Ukraine came from inside White House, sources say,” October 16, 2026, https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2026/10/16/order-to-limit-starshield-for-ukraine-came-from-inside-white-house-sources-say/ — Basis for all facts, timeline and quotations in this article.
