Thom Tillis Presses Elon Musk Over Ukraine’s Starlink Access, Says Supporting Ukrainian Sovereignty ‘Should Not Be a Gray Area’

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) pressed Elon Musk for answers after Ukraine reported restrictions on military-grade satellite connectivity, warning that deliberately weakening Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against Russia could raise serious questions about Space Exploration Technologies Corp.’s (NASDAQ:SPCX) role.

Tillis Demands Answers Over Ukraine’s Starshield Disruptions

"Please tell me these overnight disruptions to Starlink terminals in Ukraine were unintended," Tillis wrote on X, asking whether SpaceX was fixing "a temporary glitch." He added that supporting Ukrainian sovereignty "should not be a gray area for the U.S. government or for American corporations."

.@elonmusk please tell me these overnight disruptions to Starlink terminals in Ukraine were unintended – that @SpaceX is doing everything it can to fix a temporary glitch.

I'm confident this does not reflect a change in SpaceX policy because if so, intentionally degrading…

— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) October 14, 2026

Tillis also warned that "intentionally degrading Ukraine’s ability to defend itself might be construed as aiding and abetting a mass ********," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He later said newer reporting suggested the disruption may have originated inside Defense Department Starshield systems rather than SpaceX itself and said he would seek a Pentagon inspector-general review.

Ukraine Reports Drone Disruptions As Musk Responds

Ukraine said the restrictions affected Starshield, the military-focused counterpart to commercial Starlink. Reuters reported that Ukrainian drones using the system began losing connectivity above roughly 100 mph, disrupting missions involving frontline logistics, attacks and interception of Russian drones. Ukrainian officials said they received no advance warning.

The episode follows earlier concern over SpaceX imposing a roughly 100-mph cap on military Starlink use in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that reduced satellite access could cost lives as Russia intensified missile and drone attacks.

Musk, however, said SpaceX was not responsible for the military restrictions. "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government," he wrote, adding that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." His explanation prompted Anthony Scaramucci to argue that questions should instead go to the Trump administration.

Reuters noted that Starlink remains a commercial SpaceX service, while Starshield serves U.S. military and intelligence customers and incorporates secure communications and other defense capabilities.

Poland And Clinton Join Growing Starshield Dispute

The controversy has spread beyond Tillis. Poland, which pays for Ukrainian Starlink subscriptions, also questioned Musk over the restrictions, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged him not to "abandon Ukrainians." Clinton’s appeal came as Musk shifted responsibility for Starshield controls to Washington.

The dispute lands amid worsening U.S.-Ukraine tensions over Russian refinery strikes, intelligence sharing and Trump’s recent decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel.

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