Left: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appears at an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 2, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo
Right: US President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One at Elmendorf Air Force Base for a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, in Anchorage, Alaska, US, October 13, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Outrage poured in Wednesday after Elon Musk’s SpaceX abruptly limited Starlink services in Ukraine, jeopardizing Ukrainian combat drone missions without warning, while critics suspected President Donald Trump may have been behind the mysterious move.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, said Ukrainian defense forces “did not receive a warning” about the abrupt limitation to Starlink services, which have helped guide their longer-range drone strikes, Reuters reported. Furthermore, he suspected the disruption was connected to Trump’s ongoing spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which has flared up in recent days.
Trump has increasingly pressed Zelenskyy to give up territory to Russia as part of an agreement to end the Russo-Ukraine war. Zelenskyy has responded with defiance, drawing a threat from Trump to cut Ukraine off from U.S. intelligence. Trump has also demanded that both Ukraine and Russia halt attacks on energy infrastructure, a demand that has repeatedly gone ignored by both parties.
“It’s clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation,” Beskrestnov said Wednesday, The Guardian reported.
Beskrestnov wasn’t the only notable figure connecting the Starlink disruption to Trump. Serhii Sternenko, a prominent Ukrainian military adviser and activist, said SpaceX “likely took these measures at the request of the Trump administration,” according to Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
“It is clear that Trump is furious that Zelenskyy has refused to surrender and give away eastern Ukraine, and now Trump is trying to break Ukraine’s resolve by actively supporting Russia,” alleged the progressive media organization MeidasTouch in a statement published Wednesday on social media.
“He seems to take that refusal as a personal insult, an attack on his image as the dealmaker who can end the war. Once again, Trump is blaming his own failures on others. This time, the consequences are deadly.”
🚨 BREAKING: Ukrainian military sources are reporting that Elon Musk’s SpaceX abruptly restricted Starlink satellite communications during Ukrainian military operations overnight, disrupting critical missions as Russia unleashed a massive missile and drone barrage against Kyiv.Ukrainian activist Serhii Sternenko reports that Starlink connections began dropping when terminals were moving faster than 100 mph (160 km/h), causing multiple missions to fail.Ukrainian military communications expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov says the restrictions were imposed WITHOUT WARNING.Sternenko suspects SpaceX acted at the request of the Trump administration, though that allegation has not been independently confirmed.It is clear that Trump is furious that Zelenskyy has refused to surrender and give away eastern Ukraine, and now Trump is trying to break Ukraine's resolve by actively supporting Russia.He seems to take that refusal as a personal insult, an attack on his image as the dealmaker who can end the war. Once again, Trump is blaming his own failures on others. This time, the consequences are deadly.
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) October 14, 2026