6 minWorld
Ukraine Says SpaceX Speed Limit Slowed Drones as Trump Calls for New President
Ukrainian officials say a sudden speed restriction on Starlink terminals mounted on drones disrupted military operations, deepening fears that U.S. support is unraveling after Trump said Ukraine should get a new president.
Ukrainian officials said a sudden speed restriction imposed on the country's U.S.-made Starlink communication terminals disrupted drone operations, deepening fears in Kyiv that American support for the war effort is unraveling as President Donald Trump publicly called for Ukraine to replace its president.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on social media that SpaceX overnight imposed a speed limit on Ukraine's Starlink terminals mounted on drones. The restriction disrupted operations, including making slower-flying attack drones easier targets for Russian defenses. «Obviously, this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation,» Beskrestnov said, without elaborating. Neither SpaceX nor the White House offered immediate comment.
Starlink is a vital tool for the Ukrainian military in both offensive and defensive operations. The network is used for long-range drone missions, interceptor air-defense systems and front-line logistics, according to Beskrestnov. The speed limit marked the latest signal that U.S. support, especially the sharing of military intelligence and the use of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications system, may be in jeopardy.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine also did not receive the usual advance warning from its Western partners about devastating Russian ballistic missiles, triggering fears that Ukraine is being starved of vital intelligence, especially from the United States. He did not specify which partners he was referring to. Trump has said the U.S. has not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine. A lawmaker on Ukraine's parliamentary Defense Committee told The Associated Press that intelligence sharing with international partners has not stopped. The lawmaker spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give statements to the press.
Yurii Ihnat, Ukraine's air force spokesman, said there was no warning of an initial Russian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday night, although Kyiv was warned about three later waves of missiles. Five people were killed and 36 injured in the Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital that lasted from Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, Kyiv police said.
The developments frustrated the Ukrainian military and deepened fears that Kyiv's relationship with Washington is unraveling. Ukrainian officials fear U.S. support for the war effort is falling away after Trump struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel despite international efforts to sanction Russia for its invasion and isolate Putin. Trump has also leveled sharp criticism at Zelenskyy, saying Saturday that it was time for Ukraine to get a new president, suggesting Zelenskyy has not done enough to end the war with Russia and blaming him for high diesel prices in the U.S. Trump's efforts to stop the fighting have yielded no progress.
Zelenskyy voiced outrage Wednesday over Russia's continuing aerial bombardment of Ukraine's energy infrastructure in apparent defiance of Trump's demand for a ceasefire. «We ask America and EVERYONE in the world who does not turn a blind eye to reality to respond — and to respond forcefully» to Russia's ongoing aerial barrages, Zelenskyy said in a social media post. «Russia has squandered the opportunity for de-escalation and has clearly chosen to continue its insane war of annihilation,» he said.
Moscow's forces pounded Ukraine's power grid, as well as oil and gas facilities, for the third straight night, Zelenskyy said, after Trump claimed that Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to strike energy infrastructure four and a half years after Moscow's forces invaded. Zelenskyy has agreed to halt Ukraine's monthslong campaign targeting Russian oil refineries that caused fuel shortages for Russians. Ukraine's last widely reported hit on an oil refinery was Friday. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak accused Ukraine of attacking more refineries Wednesday, something local officials and independent media did not report. Ukraine called it a false claim. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that details of the energy ceasefire are still being decided. «The work in that direction is continuing,» he told reporters.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its forces attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure in Kyiv, the wider Kyiv region and the northeastern Kharkiv region overnight, striking a total of six power plants. Russian forces hit all three of Kyiv's combined heat and power plants overnight into Wednesday, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said. At least 600,000 people were left without power, Zelenskyy said. Russia fired 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at energy and other infrastructure in Kyiv, the Kyiv region and Kharkiv overnight, Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian officials say they are pushing back Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, which Russia's bigger army has been trying to capture for years. Ukraine has liberated 277 square kilometers (107 square miles) in the operation that started in the summer, Ukraine's Third Army Corps commander Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi said Wednesday. It was not possible to independently verify the claim, and Russian officials did not comment. Zelenskyy arrived Wednesday in London for talks on more help in the war.
3
