Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he feels “betrayed” by US President Donald Trump after a sudden overnight Starlink outage severely disrupted military communications and forced missions to be canceled.
Appearing on the YouTube talk show “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Mr Zelensky confirmed he believed the US administration and Elon Musk deliberately severed Ukraine’s access to the satellite internet network. The disruption occurred at approximately 1:00 am as Ukrainian forces experienced sharp slowdowns in network speeds before losing connectivity entirely.
“It’s a pity that we are losing a strong partner,” Mr Zelensky told Mr Morgan. “I am sure they knew what they did, absolutely. Because it was 1am at night, Starlink was blocked by SpaceX and the United States. This decision will bring a lot of human losses. Of course, people will die.”
Missed Missions and Power Grid Strikes
The communication blackout unfolded concurrently with heavy Russian air attacks across Ukraine that left at least nine people dead. Hundreds of thousands of residents were also left without power just days after Mr Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” in the war that started over four years ago. Deprived of high-speed broadband, Ukrainian military units were forced to abort operational missions in the field.
Starlink, operated by SpaceX, provides high-speed broadband globally and has served as a critical lifeline for Ukrainian defensive coordination since the war began. Following widespread public outcry over the overnight outage, reports indicated that connectivity began returning to some areas.
Responses from SpaceX and Washington
In response to the disruption, Mr Musk stated that any military application of the Starlink network falls strictly under the authority of the US government and the president. He distinguished between the commercial network and government-controlled infrastructure.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Mr Musk said. “Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”
Amid the fallout, Mr Zelensky's top advisors engaged White House officials on Wednesday to inquire whether a formal directive had been issued to deactivate Starlink and to seek a remedy, according to reporting by Axios. Meanwhile, Mr Trump was reportedly reaching out directly to SpaceX to determine what occurred.
