Ukraine's Starlink restrictions raise suspicions of Musk, Trump retaliation

The rupture between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over last week's diesel deal deepened Wednesday after an Elon Musk-owned satellite system used by Ukraine unexpectedly restricted service — undercutting Ukraine's fight against Russia.

Why it matters: The Ukrainian military uses SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications system to control and operate its reconnaissance and intercept drones.

When it doesn't operate at full capacity, Ukraine's ability to gather intelligence, use interceptor drones and conduct long-range strikes against Russia is impeded.

Service was partially restored on Wednesday, but Ukrainian officials were still searching for answers about why the service was throttled and who was responsible.

The limitations came days after a new crisis erupted between the U.S. and Ukraine over Trump's agreement to lift sanctions on Russian oil sales.

Zelensky criticized the move, then Trump called for Ukraine to elect a new president.

A senior U.S. official said the Trump administration had nothing to do with the alleged Starlink service constraints.

But Ukrainian officials remain suspicious.

Driving the news: Ukrainian officials said SpaceX imposed the restrictions on Tuesday night.

The system turned off, they said, when a drone exceeded 160 km/h.

In some cases, it disconnected when the speed went over 80 km/h.

The Starlink restrictions came several hours after the Ukrainian military did not receive an early warning about a Russian ballistic missile attack.

Ukrainian officials said the U.S. has provided such alerts over the last several years as part of intelligence sharing between the countries.

U.S. officials pointed to a technical malfunction in the system, but Ukrainian officials suspect that it was a warning shot from the Trump administration.