A bipartisan group of nine US senators has demanded an investigation into the outages of Starlink and Starshield satellite communications in Ukraine, as well as reported problems with intelligence sharing. The lawmakers warn that the situation may have endangered Ukrainian air defenses and US personnel stationed in the country.
The letter was sent to the US Department of Defense Inspector General Platt Moring III. It was signed by Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Tom Tillis, Dick Durbin, Susan Collins, Jack Reid, John Cornyn, Chris Coons, Lisa Murkowski and Richard Blumenthal.
“We are particularly troubled by reports that U.S. diplomatic, military and security personnel were unable to access certain shelters during Russian airstrikes“, the senators wrote. They are demanding an investigation into whether actions or decisions by the Pentagon, its employees or contractors contributed to the dangerous situation.
What the review should find
The senators want to know whether U.S. officials ordered, approved or had advance knowledge of changes to intelligence sharing, warning systems and the Starlink and Starshield services. They also demand an investigation into whether the restrictions on satellite services were related to problems transmitting data about Russian missile attacks.
It must be clarified separately whether SpaceX imposed the restrictions independently and whether they were consistent with contracts with the US government. The senators demanded that all documents, technical instructions and correspondence between the Pentagon, SpaceX and other US institutions be preserved. An initial report on the actions taken must be submitted by November 1.
The restrictions affected Ukrainian drones
The problems began between October 12 and 14. Ukrainian military officials reported that Starlink terminals mounted on moving drones began to lose functionality at higher speeds. According to the data included in the letter, Ukrainian tests have established a speed limit above approximately 63 mph, while SpaceX has indicated a threshold of 100 mph.
This has made it difficult for strike and intercept drones to operate, as well as for coordinating operations against Russian drones and missiles. “This was an unacceptable error or omission, or at worst - a deliberate decision that left the field open to Russian attack”, wrote Senator Tom Tillis. He did not present evidence that the limit was intentional.
Elon Musk has said that the military version of Starshield is under the control of the US government and that speed or usage limits are set by the US military and ultimately by the president. At the same time, Donald Trump denied that the US had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
Kiev announced restoration of service
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the country had not received advance warning from its partners about some of the ballistic missiles aimed at Kiev. The Ukrainian Air Force specified that warnings were received in subsequent waves of the attack.
On October 15, a Ukrainian representative reported that Starlink and Starshield had been restored to full capacity. However, the reason for the limitation remained unclear, and whether the communication problems and the intelligence warnings were related remains to be established.
Sources: nytimes.com, apnews.com, axios.com