Connective failures with Starlink terminals have severely impacted critical missions performed by the Ukrainian military, as reported by activist Serhiy Stermensko. He noted that military personnel moving at speeds exceeding 160 km/h experienced communication breakdowns.
“This caused a number of important missions to be disrupted,” Stermensko stated. He speculated that SpaceX, the company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, may have implemented these measures at the request of the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Despite the issues affecting Starlink, traditional satellite communication terminals remain operational, according to reports.
Context
- On October 11, Musk supported Trump’s stance on Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries, claiming President Volodymyr Zelensky had “gone too far”.
- Following Musk’s criticism, rumors regarding a potential shutdown of Starlink terminals in Ukraine circulated widely. Presidential advisor on defense technology development, Serhiy Beskrestnov, indicated that such claims were being propagated by adversarial Telegram channels. He assured that Ukraine maintains strong and stable partnerships with SpaceX, emphasizing that Musk is primarily a businessman and Ukraine brings substantial profit to the company. Thus, he expressed confidence that Starlink would not be disconnected in Ukraine, while also suggesting a possible activation for Russia.
