White House Starshield Order Disrupts Ukraine's Drones

An order from inside the White House to limit Ukraine’s Starshield service disrupted drones used by the Ukrainian military, according to two U.S. officials and a Western official briefed on the matter. Defense Department leaders received a message that the SpaceX service needed to be slowed. The officials didn’t identify who made the decision or who carried it out. People relying on the service faced the consequences of a decision made behind closed doors.

Ukrainian officials said military-grade Starlink receivers mounted on fast-moving objects stopped working in Ukraine, disrupting drones that rely on them for onboard guidance over Ukrainian territory. A person in Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said Thursday that receivers worked in motion again, but only at speeds of up to 160 kph. The restrictions complicated strikes against Russian forces and logistics in occupied territory and slowed interceptor drones used against incoming Russian Shahed drones.

Who Controls the Switch

Starshield is the military-grade version of Starlink, developed by SpaceX for government and national-security customers, particularly the U.S. Department of Defense. The Pentagon is its biggest customer. The service relies on the Starlink constellation, so Ukraine’s access depends on a system built for state and military clients.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X on Wednesday that the U.S. government owns and controls Starshield systems, and that the U.S. military or the president decides any limits on speed or usage. SpaceX, the Department of Defense and the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The order came as U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian refineries, which he blamed for soaring energy prices hurting Republican Party prospects in the November midterm elections. Experts said energy costs had risen mainly because of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Iranian attacks on energy facilities and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Political pressure and limits on military communications hit Ukraine at the same time.

Pressure Behind Closed Doors

At a meeting in Miami on Oct. 9 involving representatives from the United States, Ukraine, Europe and the World Bank, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, took a tough tone with Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the meeting. They told Ukrainian officials Washington was frustrated by Kyiv’s continued strikes on Russian refineries despite repeated U.S. requests to stop.

The U.S. delegation also explained Washington’s diesel deal with Russia, saying the White House hoped it would soften Moscow’s position on peace talks. Under the deal, Russia would supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to U.S. and global markets. Some U.S. lawmakers criticized the agreement, saying it would give Moscow money to continue the war without forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to make concessions to end the conflict.

In the following days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the U.S. decision on the Russian diesel deal “weak”; Trump called for elections in Ukraine and Zelenskyy’s removal. The report also said U.S. officials threatened to stop sharing intelligence about Russian missile launches, which Ukraine uses to thwart attacks. Trump said Tuesday that Washington was still sharing intelligence.

After Starshield access was restricted, Ukrainian officials called senior officials at the White House, State Department and Pentagon on Tuesday and Wednesday, seeking answers. A senior Ukrainian official said Kyiv was told the White House made the decision. Asked about the order, a senior U.S. official said, “No such request was ever made by the president.” The White House didn’t answer questions about whether other administration officials made the request.

The Pentagon has spent billions of dollars on Starlink and Starshield services. It has also purchased dedicated Starshield satellites, including communications spacecraft for missile-warning missions and a spy constellation for the National Reconnaissance Office, as reported in 2024. The people operating the system can set its limits. Ukraine’s drone operators still have to ask why.