Sudden restrictions on the operation of the Starlink satellite system have hampered Ukrainian military missions and caused shares of European competitors to rise. Terminals have started to limit the connection when moving at speeds above 160 km/h, Ukrainian officials said.
The change has affected strike and intercept drones, as well as communications used by Ukrainian air defense. Presidential advisor Serhiy Beskrestnov said that Ukrainian forces were not warned in advance and that this led to the failure of key missions.
On October 15, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced that the military's Starshield service for movement had been restored and the system was operational again. However, it was not confirmed whether all restrictions had been lifted. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov indicated that the connection up to 160 km/h was being restored, but called for the Starshield limit to be lifted entirely.
Musk and the White House swap responsibility
The incident has sparked a dispute over who controls the military version of the service. Elon Musk said that “Starshield is owned and directly controlled by the US government“, and the parameters for its use are determined by the Pentagon and the president.
A senior representative of Donald Trump's administration denied to Axios that the White House was behind the restrictions. So far, there has been no public statement from the US government or SpaceX that would definitively clarify the reason for the change.
The restrictions coincided with tensions between Washington and Kiev over Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure. US President Donald Trump and Musk criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky for attacks on Russian refineries.
European operators benefit from the concern
Markets reacted immediately. Shares of French operator Eutelsat recorded their strongest one-day increase in 16 months, and shares of Luxembourg-based SES also rose. Investors have bet that European companies can become an alternative to American satellite services.
But according to Alexander Peterz of Bernstein, the market reaction is outpacing the capabilities on the ground. Eutelsat’s OneWeb network is not optimized for military conditions. Consultant Christian Freiherr von der Ropp told Reuters that its terminals are heavier, bulkier and more energy-intensive, and replacing thousands of Starlink devices cannot be done in a short time.
Europe seeks independent capacity
The case has intensified the debate about Europe’s dependence on American space technology. European Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said the continent remains heavily dependent on them.
The European Commission plans to provide commercial satellite capacity to Ukraine through Govsatcom in early 2027. The independent European network IRIS² is expected to be fully operational in 2029. Until then, Starlink remains the main operating system for Ukrainian units, and the possibility of a sudden change in access conditions remains a strategic risk.
Sources: money.bg, axios.com, kyivindependent.com