The Ukrainian army experienced a slowdown of the Starshield satellite system for over a week.
Posted by The Briefing with Jen Psaki, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
The Briefing with Jen PsakiOct 23, 2026
Multiple reliable sources, including Reuters and AP, report that Starlink and its military version Starshield were throttled for over a week beginning around October 14, affecting Ukrainian military operations, until speeds were reported restored on October 24. The claim is a faithful paraphrase of the post and the core assertion is supported.
What was said
… We see it over and over again every day among the impulsive man babies in Trump's inner circle, and often, the world they are wrecking in the process isn't just a replica, isn't just a historic artifact. Take what is happening in Ukraine right now. For over a week, the Ukrainian army has been blindsided by the sudden slowdown of Starshield, a critical military grade satellite system run by Elon Musk's company, SpaceX. Lives were at stake while the Ukrainian army could not operate their missile interceptor systems at full capacity, which basically meant that more Russian missiles and drones were able to get through. …
The Briefing with Jen Psaki · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reported on October 24 that Starlink and Starshield were fully functional after over a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations.[1][4]
Supports. Snopes and Rappler report that the speed restrictions were first reported on October 14, and Ukrainian officials said the military's operations were hampered during that period.[2][5]
Supports. Yahoo/WSJ coverage from October 23 describes Ukraine's military as kneecapped since October 14 after Starlink and Starshield connections were slowed without warning.[6]
Supports. AP reports the throttling of Starlink and Starshield service to Ukraine in October, with officials saying the restrictions impeded interception of Russian attack drones.[3]
Context. Sources differ on who ordered the slowdown; Musk and the US government have not taken responsibility, but this does not bear on the claim about the slowdown's duration.[1][2][7]
Sources
7 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 1 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Ukraine says Starshield back to normal, Musk says Kyiv violated termsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Who ordered Starlink, Starshield slowdown in Ukraine? What we ...snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 3Pentagon watchdog says it's not investigating Ukraine's Starlink ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 4Ukraine says Starlink is back to normal after limits hobbled its dronesnbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Ukraine says Starlink and Starshield operating at 400 kilometers per ...rappler.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Ukraine: Starlink still isn't working after Trump restoration ...yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7The controversy over Starshield being throttled in Ukraine ...edition.cnn.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Ukrainian officials reported a loss of connectivity to Star Shield and Starlink satellite services for a few days last week.True
- Ukrainian drone units and the Ukrainian government claim that Star Shield connections are failing in most of Ukraine.True
- Starlink satellite service in Ukraine was slowed down by someone throwing a switch.True
- Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine.True
- Ukrainian officials and soldiers report that Starlink restrictions remain in place, limiting drone operations and battlefield communications.True