Why Ukrainian drones worth over $1M suddenly fell from sky
What's the story
Ukraine's military operations were severely impacted last week when armed drones lost their satellite internet connections through Starshield, a Pentagon-funded service. Kyiv relies on Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX's internet service, Starlink, to provide intelligence. The disruption resulted in over $1 million worth of weaponry falling from the sky. A senior Ukrainian commander, Oleh, said that dozens of drones were headed toward Russian targets when their video feeds went dark and they lost pilot connections.
Operational impact
Starshield disruption raises Trump-Zelenskyy tensions
The disruption forced Oleh's units to halt almost all military operations for three days.
This included attacks on Russian command posts and fuel hubs, which are considered important to protect Ukrainian troops on the front lines and slow down Russian advances.
The connectivity issues have also raised tensions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump, with Kyiv questioning if the restrictions were politically motivated.
Technical issues
Drone operations severely impacted
Reportedly, the initial disruptions caused Ukrainian drones to lose connections at speeds as low as 64km/h.
Although connectivity improved later, drones continued to face interruptions above 161km/h.
The speed restrictions have impacted various types of drones differently. While some models can operate normally below the limit, others need to fly faster for effective targeting.
Kyiv has said the change was imposed without any explanation from the US.
Diplomatic tensions
Ukraine-US relations further strained
The WSJ reported earlier, citing sources, that Elon Musk had ordered the slowdown of Starshield for Ukraine.
The sources said Musk and Trump expressed anger at Ukraine for attacking Russian oil refineries.
"Last week, Musk capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the satellite-based network, the people said, rendering some offensive drones and interceptor drones virtually useless."
"Some US officials say...Musk acted unilaterally and that Trump didn't specifically order any retribution against Ukraine," the paper added.
Official response
US denies intentionally disrupting services
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted that a Starlink slowdown had "sort of happened" but insisted that service had been restored.
He dismissed claims that Washington deliberately withheld assistance from Ukraine.
Despite improvements in connectivity, Ukrainian commanders fear possible future disruptions or abrupt satellite access cuts.
Lieutenant and company commander Yuriy Butusov of Ukraine's 23rd Assault Regiment said slower connections significantly constrained operations.
"This day without Starlink saved many lives and many trucks for Russia, unfortunately," Butusov told NYT.
What is
What is Starshield
Starshield is a sister service to Starlink, an array of 11,000 satellites placed by SpaceX into Earth's low orbit to enable high-speed internet access even in remote locations.
Starshield, which was launched in 2022 and provided to the US government, is intended for military usage because it enables deeper encryption to process sensitive information.
Ukraine's military relies significantly on Starshield, particularly to guide its drones in their attacks on Russia.