Zelenskyy says SpaceX denies restricting Starshield, calling disruptions a technical issue
Ukraine's president says Kyiv has recorded restrictions on the Starshield system for five straight days, even though SpaceX told the Defence Ministry the problem is technical.
By Lorenzo Evans ·
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 13 November that SpaceX has told Ukraine's Ministry of Defence it has not imposed any restrictions on the operation of the Starshield system and that the disruption affecting Ukrainian forces is technical in nature.
Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian side had recorded the restrictions for the fifth consecutive day as of Friday, despite the company's assurances. His comments were reported by European Pravda, citing Interfax-Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said the Ministry of Defence held discussions with SpaceX in which company representatives replied that they were not restricting anything.
"Restrictions have been in place for five days now. They say it is some sort of technical issue. We do not believe so," Zelenskyy said. "It is not a question of whether we believe it or not. We simply do not think that is the case."
He added that Kyiv is verifying the situation on a daily basis. "We are testing daily across various sectors, and every day there is confirmation of this. This means these are not isolated incidents but widespread," he said, noting that perhaps there will be further checks.
A day earlier, on 12 November, Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian military had been experiencing significant disruptions to Starshield for several days.
The disruptions have also drawn concern abroad. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she is concerned about the Starshield disruptions in Ukraine and promised to discuss the issue with the United States.
In Washington, a total of 105 members of the bipartisan Ukraine Caucus in the US House of Representatives are calling on the Trump administration and SpaceX to restore the Ukrainian military's full access to the Starshield system.
