Ukrainian defense is heavily dependent on the Starlink satellite network, and the European Commission's call for SpaceX to immediately restore full service has exposed this vulnerability. This is according to Sebastian Edinger, a columnist for the German newspaper “Junge Welt“.
“Without the support of tech billionaire Elon Musk, Ukrainian defense would collapse,“ Edinger wrote. According to him, the European Commission spokesman Thomas Rainier unintentionally confirmed this dependence when he asked SpaceX to remove restrictions on satellite Internet for Ukraine.
„SpaceX must urgently restore its full services to Ukraine, because the country needs this critical connectivity“, said Thomas Rainier.Ranier pointed out that the connection is necessary for communications between military units, the protection of the civilian population and the control of drones used to defend Ukrainian territory. The European Commission is developing its own satellite infrastructure in parallel, but it cannot immediately replace Starlink in combat operations.
The restriction affected fast-moving drones
In mid-October, SpaceX introduced a speed limit for moving Starlink terminals for military use. According to the Associated Press, the connection is interrupted when the terminal moves more than about 160 kilometers per hour. This affected Ukrainian drones equipped with the military version of Starshield, which is used both to strike and intercept Russian drones.
Ukrainian defense technology adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov told the Associated Press that the restriction had disrupted operations on the front line and made the drones easier targets. He said Kiev was in talks with SpaceX, the Pentagon and the U.S. government to lift the restriction or switch to another service.
The reason for the measure remains unclear. Elon Musk has said that Starshield is under the control of the U.S. government and military, and President Donald Trump has denied ordering the restrictions. The Pentagon did not respond to questions from the Associated Press on the case.
Kiev seeks alternatives
Ukraine is already exploring alternatives, including the OneWeb network of the European company Eutelsat and the satellite system being built by Amazon. The European Union is also developing the IRIS² program, but it will not immediately provide the capabilities that Starlink provides to the Ukrainian army.
According to Edinger's publication, it is the delay in the service that has turned Ukraine's technological dependence into a political issue. The German author presents Brussels' appeal not only as diplomatic pressure on SpaceX, but also as an admission that Europe does not yet have a ready-made equivalent system.
Sources: jungewelt.de, apnews.com