Ukraine troops report ongoing problems with Starlink satellite network

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

Sauer, P. (2026, October 23). Ukraine troops report ongoing problems with Starlink satellite network. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/23/ukraine-troops-report-ongoing-problems-with-starlink-satellite-network

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-10-23 · by Pjotr Sauer

Quick Summary

Ukrainian forces are experiencing ongoing issues with the Starlink satellite network's speed restrictions, which began after criticism from former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk towards Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for striking Russian oil refineries. Despite Trump’s claims that he pressured Musk to lift these restrictions, Ukrainian officials report no significant improvement in network speeds, hindering military operations such as drone use. This conflict has strained relations between Ukraine and the US further due to Washington's decision to import Russian diesel amid rising domestic energy costs.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-23, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Elon Musk restored Ukraine's access to SpaceX’s military-grade satellite internet service, Starshield, following a week of restrictions that hampered Ukraine’s drone operations and communication. President Trump called on Musk to reverse any changes that slowed down the system, which was initially reported by the Wall Street Journal. Despite Trump's assertion that the issue is resolved, Ukrainian officials report continued problems with signal loss and capped speeds at about 100 mph (160 kph). The confusion stems from conflicting reports of who ordered the initial restrictions: Musk denied responsibility while suggesting it could be the US military or POTUS, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Pentagon did not direct any changes. Ukraine relies heavily on Starlink for battlefield communications during Russian missile attacks, making these disruptions critical to their defense capabilities.

Written for “Trump Claims Musk Restored Ukraine Starlink Access” on 2026-10-23, grounded in this article and the 14 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans left for article 101776 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-23

Story

📰 Trump Claims Musk Restored Ukraine Starlink Access
Politics · 15 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 21% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Trump says Musk restored Ukraine’s Starlink access amid Russia war different event · 95%
Al Jazeera · 0.89 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 16% hedged 4 of 25 📰 publisher trust 60
“Article A reports on a claim by Trump that Musk has restored Starlink access for Ukraine, while Article B discusses ongoing problems with Starlink reported by Ukrainian troops despite Trump's assertion.”
Starlink access for Ukraine limited after Trump’s claims satellite service restored, officials say – Europe live same event · 95%
The Guardian · 0.89 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 30 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles discuss the ongoing dispute between Ukrainian officials, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the limitations of Starlink access for Ukraine's military operations.”
Ukraine Reporter TORCHES Marco Rubio’s Excuses Over Starlink Slowdown different event · 95%
The Bulwark
⚖️ Centre further right than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 4
“The articles discuss similar issues but cover different timeframes and perspectives on the Starlink communications disruption affecting Ukrainian troops.”
Musk chose to restrict Ukraine's access to SpaceX network, sources say same event · 95%
CBS News
⚖️ Centre further right than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 20 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe restrictions on Ukraine's access to SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, with similar timing and context involving Musk's conversations with officials.”
10/20: CBS Evening News same event · 95%
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 1 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe the same incident of disruptions to Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite network, mentioning the involvement of Elon Musk and the timing around Trump's claims.”
Ukrainian reporter on how critical SpaceX satellites are to Ukraine's defense against Russia different event · 95%
CBS News
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 2 📰 publisher trust 66
“While related, Article A discusses Elon Musk's decision to restrict access to SpaceX satellites for Ukraine, whereas Article B reports ongoing problems and disruptions with the Starlink satellite network affecting Ukrainian troops.”
Diving into Musk's order to restrict Ukraine's access to SpaceX satellites same event · 95%
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 2 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe the same incident of restrictions being placed on Ukraine's access to SpaceX's satellite network, occurring around the same time and involving Elon Musk.”
Trump says Musk has restored Ukraine's internet access different event · 95%
BBC News
⚖️ Leans right further right than this 🔴 10% hedged 2 of 21 📰 publisher trust 69
“The articles describe different moments in time regarding Starlink's internet access for Ukraine, with Article A reporting Trump's claim that access has been restored while Article B reports ongoing problems.”
Trump administration offers mixed messages on limits to Ukraine's Starshield access same event · 95%
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 5% hedged 2 of 44 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles describe the same incident of Ukraine facing restrictions on its access to Starshield/Starlink satellite systems, with similar timelines and context involving Trump and Musk.”
October 22, 2026 same event · 95%
Letters from an American
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 15% hedged 7 of 46
“Both articles describe the same incident of disruptions to Starlink's satellite network in Ukraine, involving Trump and Musk denying responsibility, and occurring around the same time.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
21%
4 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
15
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 2349 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)
2026-10-19
Mother assessed as posing no immediate risk to others three weeks before Elizabeth Struhs’ manslaughter, inquest hears
2026-10-14
Rachel Smith will turn 39 in prison. The high court says she could freeze her eggs from behind bars
2026-10-03
Tennessee’s top prison official resigning after botched execution of Christa Pike
2026-10-01
Tennessee governor suspends all executions after Christa Pike’s lethal injections fail
2026-09-28
Extra 1,000 prison beds announced in NSW as union warns against arresting ‘our way out of domestic violence’
2026-09-05
Australia’s housing prices are trending down. See which suburbs have had the biggest falls

Who wrote this

Pjotr Sauer
6 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Meanwhile, Russia launched another overnight barrage against Ukraine, even as Moscow said a fresh round of US-brokered talks aimed at ending the war could take place next month.
2026-10-23 · mixed framing · Ukraine troops report ongoing problems with Starlink satellite network
🔮 Montenegro’s prime minister, Milojko Spajić, confirmed Zvinchuk’s detention in a post on X, saying it followed warnings that the country would face attempts at destabilisation and hybrid warfare.
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · Pro-Kremlin Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk arrested in Montenegro
🔮 It represents the cutting edge of what governments such as Iran, Kazakhstan and India may soon try to achieve.
2026-09-18 · assertive framing · Revealed: How Russia use mobile ‘super-app’ Max to spy on its citizens
🔮 Vladimir Putin’s United Russia is expected to extend the grip on parliament it has held for 23 years, alongside a handful of nominal opposition parties that reliably vote with the Kremlin on the issues that matter.
2026-09-18 · assertive framing · Russians go to polls against backdrop of Ukraine war and Putin’s tightening grip
🔮 Speaking by video link during the bridge’s opening ceremony on Monday, Russia’s prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, said the new crossing would spur development in a range of areas, including tourism, while creating new jobs “I am convinced that the expansion of cross-border transport infrastructure will provide a powerful impetus for the further development of trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation,” Mishustin said.
2026-09-07 · assertive framing · Russia and North Korea open first road bridge across their shared border
Also by Pjotr Sauer
Pro-Kremlin Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk arrested in Montenegro
2026-10-09 · The Guardian
Revealed: How Russia use mobile ‘super-app’ Max to spy on its citizens
2026-09-18 · The Guardian
Russians go to polls against backdrop of Ukraine war and Putin’s tightening grip
2026-09-18 · The Guardian
Who is Umar Kremlev, the Russian oligarch who reportedly helped pay for Donald Trump Jr’s wedding?
2026-09-15 · The Guardian
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 6 articles by Pjotr Sauer →

Topics

Russia Russian Starlink Ukraine Ukrainian

Subjects

Russian NORP · 6× Ukraine GPE · 6× Russia GPE · 5× Starlink ORG · 5× Trump PERSON · 4× Ukrainian NORP · 4× Kyiv GPE · 3× Moscow GPE · 3× Musk PERSON · 2× Zelenskyy PERSON · 2×

Narrative

The speed restrictions have prevented Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, from maintaining a connection to the satellite network when travelling at high speeds, hampering both offensive drone operations and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-23
🔮 Meanwhile, Russia launched another overnight barrage against Ukraine, even as Moscow said a fresh round of US-brokered talks aimed at ending the war could take place next month.
2026-10-23 · The Guardian
Ukraine troops report ongoing problems with Starlink satellite network · mixed framing

Claims (19 extracted, 4 hedged)

Ukrainian forces continue to report widespread disruptions to the Starlink satellite network, despite Donald Trump’s claim that Elon Musk had lifted restrictions on the service. uncertain
Musk → continue → service
The slowdown, which has affected the key communications system used by Ukrainian troops, began last week after Trump and Starlink founder Musk publicly criticised Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over continued strikes on Russian oil refineries. asserted
Trump → affect → refineries
The restrictions have raised questions and confusion about who ordered the slowdown and why, with both Trump and Musk denying responsibility. asserted
Trump → raise → responsibility
“I don’t comment one way or the other,” Trump said on Thursday when asked about reports that he had personally called Musk to demand the restrictions be lifted. asserted
restrictions → comment → Musk
“The bottom line: he put it back.” asserted
he → put → it
But Ukrainian officials said on Friday morning that speeds remained capped at about 100mph, with no indication that the restrictions had been lifted. asserted
restrictions → say → indication
“At present, we have not observed any lifting of the restrictions on Starlink,” said Serhii Beskrestnov, a military expert who advises Zelenskyy. asserted
who → observe → Zelenskyy
“There have been isolated cases in which Starlink has operated at speeds slightly above the imposed limits, but this is likely due to SpaceX’s algorithms or specific conditions of use, rather than any lifting of the restrictions,” Beskrestnov added. asserted
Beskrestnov → isolate → restrictions
The speed restrictions have prevented Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, from maintaining a connection to the satellite network when travelling at high speeds, hampering both offensive drone operations and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks. asserted
restrictions → prevent → attacks
The slowing down of Starlink, coupled with Zelenskyy’s complaints that Washington had temporarily suspended intelligence-sharing with Kyiv, have plunged relations between Ukraine and the US to a new low in recent days. asserted
Washington → couple → days
Tensions first flared after Washington’s surprise decision to lift sanctions on Russia and begin importing Russian diesel, as Trump sought to bring down US energy prices before the midterm elections. asserted
Trump → flare → elections
Maritime tracking data showed that the first tanker carrying Russian diesel was en route to New York on Thursday. asserted
tanker → show → Thursday
Meanwhile, Russia launched another overnight barrage against Ukraine, even as Moscow said a fresh round of US-brokered talks aimed at ending the war could take place next month. uncertain
round → launch → place
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Friday that trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US were expected to resume in Abu Dhabi in November. asserted
talks → say → November
Previous rounds of negotiations have failed to produce a breakthrough, with Moscow and Kyiv far away over the terms of any peace settlement. asserted
Moscow → fail → settlement
Among Russia’s maximalist demands are that Ukraine withdraw its forces from territory it still controls in the east of the country, drastically reduce the size of its military and adopt a neutral status that would rule out Nato membership. asserted
that → withdraw → membership
Speaking to a Russian state television reporter late on Thursday, Putin once again questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty, echoing claims he has repeatedly made throughout the war. uncertain
he → speak → war
“The lands lost by Kyiv are not their territory, they are Russia’s historical lands,” Putin said. asserted
Putin → lose → Kyiv
The Russian president also cited unspecified genetic research to revive his longstanding claim that Russians and Ukrainians were “one people”, before insisting that Moscow would achieve all the objectives of its full-scale invasion. uncertain
Moscow → cite → invasion
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 23 Oct 2026