Ukraine accuses SpaceX of restricting Starlink service, crippling drone missions

Source: Reuters Date: October 14 (Kyiv)

Kyiv accused Elon Musk's SpaceX on Wednesday of restricting Starlink services and undermining Ukraine's drone capabilities, as Russian missile strikes destroyed power stations — a move President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as "flagrant disrespect" toward Donald Trump.

Ties between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated sharply since U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly lifted sanctions on Russian diesel last week and publicly criticized Zelenskiy. Facing political pressure to lower fuel prices, Trump has called on Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries and suggested Ukrainians should replace their wartime leader. Trump also announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to halt attacks on energy targets, though neither side confirmed this, and Russia has intensively bombed Ukrainian power stations over the past two days.

SpaceX Accused of Disrupting Starlink for Military Use

Ukrainian military officials said Musk's SpaceX had, without warning, disabled the functionality of high-speed mobile military-grade Starlink terminals, effectively preventing Kyiv from using them for drone-borne navigation.

"Our defense forces received no warning about this restriction, which led to the disruption of multiple missions," presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski challenged Musk on X:

"Hey, @elonmusk, big guy, are you playing politics with your product again? As your European customers, we are watching you."

Musk did not immediately respond, and SpaceX did not reply to requests for comment outside U.S. working hours.

U.S. Pressure Over Refinery Strikes

Sources told Reuters and other media outlets that the United States threatened to cut off intelligence support for Ukrainian missile strike warnings in order to pressure Kyiv into pausing attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Russian Strikes Cause Casualties and Power Outages

Rescue workers in Kyiv pulled injured people from the rubble of a destroyed residential building. Officials reported two deaths and 21 injuries. Approximately 600,000 people were left without power, with Russian missile strikes primarily targeting Kyiv and Kharkiv.

Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed it struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv. Zelenskiy said more than 30 power stations were damaged. Ukrainian officials said that for a second consecutive day, they had received no warning from Western partners.

Zelenskiy Responds

Writing on X, Zelenskiy stated:

"Russia does not take the U.S. president's statements seriously at all. This attack was entirely deliberate and of demonstrative scale — Russia has never shown such flagrant disrespect toward the United States."

Zelenskiy said Ukraine is willing to observe an energy ceasefire and has not attacked Russian refineries since Trump's announcement, but warned that Ukraine would no longer exercise restraint if Russia ignores the ceasefire.

URL: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/ukraine-accuses-spacex-crippling-drone-missions-ties-with-us-worsen-2026-10-14/