Elon Musk said that any restrictions on the military satellite network “Starshield“ in Ukraine are determined by the US armed forces and ultimately by the US president, not by his company “SpaceX“. He emphasized that the system is owned and controlled by the US government.
“The “Starshield“ systems are owned and controlled by the US government. "Any speed or usage restrictions are determined by the US military and ultimately by the US President," Musk wrote on the social network "Ex".
What's affected
His statement came after reports from Ukraine of sudden restrictions on the use of satellite communications on the front. According to the Ukrainian side, this has hampered a number of drone operations and the work of air defense.
Musk made a distinction between "Starshield" and "Starlink". "Starshield" is the military version of the satellite connection, while "Starlink" is a service limited to civilian purposes. Both systems were developed by “SpaceX“.
According to information from the Bulgarian National Radio, the restriction affected terminals used by the Ukrainian army when they were moving at speeds above 160 km/h. This disrupted communication during some missions with strike drones and interceptor drones.
Zelensky demanded restoration of service
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Musk to remove the restrictions and restore the satellite service. “This is a big mistake, with big losses. This decision will lead to significant human losses. People are dying because of it. Of course, they will die if the attacks continue and “Starlink“ does not work. So I hope it is a technical problem. "What we are asking for is for the system to be restarted," Zelensky said in an interview with Piers Morgan.
BNR reported that the outage has led to the suspension of a number of offensive missions on the front. At the same time, Russia has carried out strikes on Kiev, Lutsk, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv and other Ukrainian cities, killing 15 civilians.
Restrictions amid pressure on Kiev
The case is developing against the backdrop of increasing pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump for Ukraine to stop strikes on Russian oil facilities. Washington has also announced an agreement with Moscow to receive diesel fuel.
According to information reported by BTA, a senior Ukrainian official, who requested anonymity, told Agence France-Presse that the United States has threatened to suspend intelligence sharing with Ukraine if Kiev does not stop its strikes on Russian refineries. This claim has not been officially confirmed by the American government.
Sources: bta.bg, bnrnews.bg