Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told Elon Musk he is concerned about potential political fallout from recent restrictions on Starlink services, which reportedly affect Ukrainian military operations. In a message posted on X, Minister Sikorski wrote, “Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, we are watching you.”
This statement followed reports from Ukraine that certain Starlink terminals experienced connectivity issues during rapid movements, affecting drone operations.
Sergiy Beskrestnov, an advisor to the Ukrainian president on defence technologies, announced on Telegram that SpaceX had implemented restrictions without notifying the Ukrainian Defence Forces in advance. He noted that these restrictions particularly affected the Starshield military service package and terminals operating at speeds over 160 kilometres per hour, thereby hindering several critical missions.
Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Reaction Corps also told Reuters that outages lasted 10 to 20 seconds, even at speeds of 110 to 120 kilometres per hour. While drones remained operational during these outages, control was compromised, necessitating the cancellation of some missions.
Minister Sikorski’s recent comments echo a March 2025 exchange with Musk about the reliability of Starlink services in Ukraine. At the time, he said Poland allocates about $50 million annually for access to the service in Ukraine and that it would consider alternative providers if SpaceX fails to deliver consistent service.
Musk has publicly responded to concerns, asserting his commitment to keeping Starlink terminals functional in Ukraine, regardless of political disagreements.
Moreover, other European leaders have also advocated for enhanced access to Starlink for Ukraine. In September, Finnish President Alexander Stubb urged Musk to extend Starlink coverage to areas near Russian ballistic missile positions, emphasising that such measures could protect civilian lives by allowing Ukraine to neutralise threats before they are launched.
