The Pentagonʼs inspector general has refused to investigate recent restrictions on the operation of the “Starlink” satellite system and its military version — “Starshield” — in Ukraine.
This is reported by the Associated Press, which received a response to a request from lawmakers.
Nine senators — four Republicans and five Democrats — requested an investigation into the incident. In particular, they wanted to find out who made the decision to slow down satellite communications for Ukraine — representatives of the US government or “SpaceX”.
But the Pentagonʼs inspector generalʼs office responded that the questions were better addressed to the US Air Force, a congressional aide the AP spoke to said was a de facto refusal to investigate.
“It is troubling that the inspector general appears to have chosen not to investigate the disruptions to satellite communications that Ukraine relies on to protect its civilian population,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen said in a statement to the AP.
According to her, the Donald Trump administration and “SpaceX” have explained the reasons for the restrictions differently, so the situation requires an independent review.
“Starlink” restrictions for Ukrainian military
On the night of October 14, “SpaceX” without warning restricted the operation of “Starshield” terminals, the military version of “Starlink” satellite communications. The “SpaceX” founder Elon Musk said that the “Starshield” systems are controlled by the US government, so their use is determined by the US military, and the final decision is made by the president. The White House called the “Starshield” restrictions in Ukraine a “technical malfunction”.
On October 15, Babelʼs sources in the Ministry of Defense reported that the “Starshield” operation had already resumed and was ongoing. At the same time, Zelensky noted the next day that the network had not yet fully resumed. He separately noted that due to the speed limit, Ukraine had lost the ability to shoot down “Shahed” jet drones.
According to Zelensky, the order to restrict “Starlink” operations in Ukraine came from the US government, and was technically carried out by “SpaceX”. The White House denied this, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denied it and advised him to be more careful with such statements.
The “SpaceX” CEO Elon Musk has admitted that his company has restricted “Starlink” operations in Ukraine, citing Ukraineʼs alleged violation of the systemʼs terms of use. Ukrainian officials deny this.
On October 24, the operation of “Starlink” and its military version “Starshield” in Ukraine was resumed at the speed that existed before the restrictions.
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