Ukraine says Starlink restrictions remain despite Trump assurances

SpaceX‘s Starlink internet system continues to be throttled in Ukraine as the stakes rise for the war-torn country, Ukrainian officials and a national security expert said Friday.

“Every day matters for Ukraine, because every Ukrainian life matters,” wrote Denys Sienik, Ukraine’s deputy ambassador to the U.S., in a Friday post on X.

“Our people are waiting for positive news, hoping that the restrictions will be lifted and our defenders will have the capabilities they need to protect lives,” Sienik said. “Unfortunately, as of today, nothing has changed. We continue to wait.”

Since Oct. 14, Ukrainian officials have accused SpaceX of undermining the country’s ability to defend itself by imposing speed limits on Starshield, the military-grade Starlink offering. Any drone traveling above 100 mph lost its connection, disrupting some missions, officials said.

Despite recent comments from President Donald Trump that indicated service was restored, Ukraine’s Starshield terminals continued to experience problems on Friday, said Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington, D.C., think tank focused on energy, defense tech and global trade.

“They are losing drones,” Alperovitch, who is also a co-founder and former chief technology officer of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, told CNBC. “Ability to do mid strike to hit Russian logistics is now limited.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Friday post on X that the restrictions on Starlink and Starshield “are still there,” and added, “The speed has not been restored.” He noted that the country is also waiting for the U.S. to deliver missile interceptors “that were already agreed on.”

“Things have become harder — partly because of the Starlink and Starshield policies and speed limits,” Zelenskyy wrote. “But our frontline is still holding and I am proud of how strong our people are.”

Zelenskyy’s defense tech advisor, Serhii Beskrestnov, also confirmed the restrictions were in place in a post on his Telegram channel.

“While there are isolated cases where Starlink may operate somewhat beyond the established limits, this is likely a result of SpaceX’s algorithms or specific usage conditions, rather than an actual removal of restrictions,” Beskrestnov said in a post translated by Google.

Elon Musk and representatives from SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Who is ultimately responsible for the decision to limit Ukraine’s service remains unclear.

Democratic lawmakers have since called for an investigation into Musk and the Starshield throttling. A group of bipartisan lawmakers penned a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday…