The European Commission has demanded that the American aerospace company SpaceX urgently restore Starshield satellite communications in Ukraine, following new reports of outages that are hampering the Ukrainian military's capacity to repel Russian attacks.
European Commission spokesperson Tom Regnier said Brussels was alarmed by the reports of disruptions affecting the service, which Ukrainian forces rely on for battlefield communications.
"This is not the first time Ukraine has faced disruptions to Starshield's operation. These reports are deeply concerning, and if confirmed, this is unacceptable," Regnier said.
He stressed that SpaceX needed to apply a consistent approach in delivering its services to Ukraine, warning against repeated interruptions.
"The operation of Starshield services must be urgently restored so that Ukrainian military personnel can remain in contact and the country can defend its citizens and its territory," he added.
The appeal from Brussels came on the same day that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian units "have been recording significant disruptions to Starshield's operations," according to European Pravda.
Also on 12 November, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen voiced concern over the outages and pledged to raise the issue with the United States.
The first restrictions on Starshield were recorded in mid-October 2026, when the limitations complicated the use of interceptor drones against Russian unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as reconnaissance and strike missions.
On 22 October, The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump had phoned SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and asked him to lift the restrictions on Starshield services. Trump himself declined to confirm whether he had made the call.
Two days later, on 24 October, Zelenskyy confirmed that Starlink and Starshield services in Ukraine had been restored to the speeds they provided before the restrictions were imposed.
