White House ordered satellite communications restrictions for Ukraine — Reuters
Photo: The Pentagon received the order (Getty Images)
An order to restrict the operation of the satellite system Ukraine uses for battlefield communications and drone control came from the White House, Reuters reports.
According to three sources, the US Department of Defense received a directive from the White House to slow SpaceX's provision of Starshield services to the Ukrainian military.
Officials did not specify who exactly in the White House made this decision or who was responsible for carrying out the order. However, it should be noted that the Pentagon is the largest customer of Starshield, the military version of the Starlink service.
In light of the above information, Reuters reached out to another unnamed senior official for comment, but he denied that US President Donald Trump could have been involved in this order.
"No such request was ever made by the president," he said.
The White House also did not respond to a question about whether other administration officials might have made such a request.
What else important to know
A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that in recent days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had encountered restrictions on Starlink's operation. Specifically, Ukrainian military personnel were unable to operate drones at speeds exceeding 160 km/h.
However, according to RBC-Ukraine, on October 15, the situation regarding restrictions on Starshield (the military version of Starlink) in Ukraine improved.
Incidentally, Senator Thom Tillis called on US authorities to investigate the Pentagon's actions after Ukraine encountered restrictions on Starlink's operation.
