Ukrainian forces said Wednesday its battlefield efforts had been hampered overnight after losing some access to SpaceX’s military-grade satellite Internet service, which has become a lifeline as Kyiv weathers Moscow's attacks.
asserted
Kyiv → say → attacks
Starlink offers Internet connectivity from satellites in low-Earth orbit.
asserted
Starlink → offer → orbit
Its sister service Starshield, a military version developed for the Pentagon, relies on the Starlink network and has recently been used by Ukrainian forces to strengthen its far-reaching drone strike missions and air defenses.
asserted
service → develop → missions
Serhiy Beskrestnov, a military technology expert who advises Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said speed restrictions had been imposed on the "military package" of Starshield services, leading to the “failure” of several military missions.
asserted
restrictions → advise → missions
“Our defense forces have not received any warnings about this restriction,” he said.
asserted
he → receive → restriction
Beskrestnov claimed the restrictions, which he said applied to devices traveling over 100 miles per hour and using Starshield, were “related to the current political situation.”
asserted
he → claim → situation
He did not offer further details.
asserted
He → offer → details
Tensions are high between the U.S. and Ukraine, as Zelensky has been vocal in his disapproval of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to import diesel from Russia, despite previous sanctions prohibiting it.
asserted
Zelensky → import → it
The move has also caused a split in Trump’s own party, with several Republican lawmakers urging him to reverse course.
asserted
lawmakers → cause → course
After making the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Trump announced an “energy cease-fire” between Russia and Ukraine—but Zelensky swiftly accused Moscow of violating any such agreement and Ukraine has, in turn, resumed strikes on Russian refineries, despite pressure from Washington.
asserted
Ukraine → make → Washington
Speaking from the U.K., Zelensky said it was a “pity” Ukrainian forces had experienced “difficulties” with Starlink services and intelligence, adding that he was surprised by the developments in Ukraine’s partnership with the U.S.
asserted
he → speak → U.S.
In an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored Wednesday night, Zelensky suggested he believed Starlink had been slowed down to damage him, and warned “people will die, if attacks will continue and if Starlink will not work … it’s not helpful.”
uncertain
it → suggest → him
He said he hoped the restriction was only a “mistake,” suggesting it was perhaps "a huge technical problem” at SpaceX.
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk addressed the matter, insisting that Starlink and Starshield are different.
asserted
Starlink → say → matter
He cited the U.S. authorities as being in control of the latter’s usage determinations.
asserted
He → cite → determinations
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government.
asserted
systems → own → government
Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS,” he said on X.
asserted
he → decide → X.
“Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX.
asserted
Starlink → own → ?
Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”
asserted
doing → limit → company
A senior U.S. official told Axios that the Trump Administration was not involved in the alleged Starlink limitations.
asserted
Administration → tell → limitations
TIME has reached out to the White House for comment.
asserted
TIME → reach → comment
Meanwhile, Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform reported Thursday, citing sources within the Ministry of Defense, that “the work of Starshield in motion has resumed and continues.”
asserted
work → report → motion
A Ukrainian official also told Axios that Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield satellite services had been restored to full capacity.
asserted
services → tell → capacity
TIME has reached out to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense for comment.
asserted
TIME → reach → comment
The discourse has nonetheless raised questions about what Starshield is and how uniquely important it has become on the Ukrainian battlefield.
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it → raise → battlefield
Starshield is a program developed by Musk’s SpaceX that draws on the satellite and launch capability behind Starlink, its commercial satellite Internet network, to support national security operations.
asserted
that → develop → operations
According to SpaceX, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on three areas: Earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.
“Starlink is basic interconnectivity, it's like the Internet.
uncertain
it → accord → Internet
Starshield essentially grows out of the experience of Starlink,” Mark Hilborne, a senior lecturer in defense studies at King’s College London, tells TIME.
asserted
Hilborne → grow → TIME
But the military value of that connectivity extends far beyond access to the Internet, Hilborne adds.
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Hilborne → extend → Internet
“In and of itself, satellite communications are not military technology, but it enables the military to communicate and amass a real-time, multi-domain picture of the battlefield, which some argue nobody else actually has at this stage,” he says.
asserted
he → enable → stage
Both systems also offer high-speed connectivity because of the satellite technology underpinning them.
asserted
systems → offer → them
“Starlink and Starshield are low on the Earth’s orbit, and they have a very high bandwidth, so lots of information can pass through those satellites, with virtually no delay on the signal,” Hilborne says.
asserted
Hilborne → have → signal
There are more than 10,000 satellites in the Starlink network, while Hilborne says Starshield uses “a much smaller number of satellites.”
asserted
Starshield → be → satellites
However, the exact number of satellites associated with Starshield remains unknown, with experts telling TIME that such details are closely guarded due to national security considerations.
asserted
details → associate → considerations
“They keep the contracting details on these things classified,” says Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
asserted
Harrison → keep → Institute
SpaceX, on its website, says Starshield is “designed to support U.S. National Defense use cases for the Department of Defense and other government partners.”
asserted
Starshield → say → Defense
While both systems rely on closely related satellite technology, they differ in the services they provide and how they are intended to be used.
asserted
they → rely → services
“Starshield refers to military services that actually operate through Starlink,” Harrison explains, comparing the services to “two different brands of a cell phone provider, even though your phone calls are going through the same towers.”
asserted
calls → refer → towers
Starshield offers additional capabilities designed for military operations, including more advanced encryption and satellite imaging, experts tell TIME.
asserted
experts → offer → TIME
“It's got another extra set of capabilities over and above Starlink,” Hilborne says.
asserted
Hilborne → get → Starlink
“They use some of the same technologies, but it would be highly encrypted, and they have different sensors that allow them to image what they call ‘Earth observation.’
asserted
they → use → what
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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