The European Commission called on US company SpaceX to urgently restore Starshield satellite services in Ukraine following new reports of outages that, according to Ukrainian authorities, are hampering the army’s efforts against Russian attacks.
“This is not the first time Ukraine has faced Starshield outages. These reports are deeply concerning and, if confirmed, unacceptable,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said.
He stressed that SpaceX must apply a consistent approach when providing its services to Ukraine. “Starshield services must be urgently restored so that Ukraine can maintain contact with its service members, protect its citizens and defend its territory,” Regnier said.
Problems affect the front line and interceptor drones
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said military units had recorded significant disruptions in Starshield’s operation over several days. According to him, the problems had been identified along the entire front line, as well as in the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine.
Zelensky said the restrictions directly affected the Ukrainian forces’ ability to intercept Russian jet-powered drones launched from the occupied territories. The satellite system is also used by interceptor drones involved in air defense.
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed to Interfax-Ukraine that the disruptions were reducing air defense capabilities to counter jet-powered drones and other threats. According to the General Staff, this could limit the Ukrainian forces’ ability to protect civilian lives and critical infrastructure.
New series of restrictions after the October restoration
The new reports come less than three weeks after Ukraine announced that Starlink and Starshield operations had been restored to the speeds recorded before the previous restrictions. On October 24, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said it was observing the restoration of the systems used for communications, logistics and drone operations.
In October, Ukrainian officials reported restrictions under which terminals used by moving drones and vehicles lost their connection at higher speeds. At the time, US officials and SpaceX did not publicly take responsibility for the specific restrictions, while the causes remained a subject of dispute.
The European Commission is already discussing with Kyiv the inclusion of Ukraine in the European GOVSATCOM system, which pools the satellite resources of member states. Commercial capacity is expected to be added to the system in 2027, but it has not yet been presented as a direct replacement for Starshield.
Sources: theguardian.com, en.interfax.com.ua, euronews.com