Pentagon declines to investigate Starlink limits in Ukraine, senators concerned

The Pentagon has declined to investigate recent Starlink and Starshield service disruptions affecting Ukraine, rejecting a bipartisan request from nine senators. Lawmakers sought answers on whether US officials were involved and if Elon Musk exploited a loophole. Senator Jeanne Shaheen expressed concern over the Inspector General's refusal, noting the Trump administration and SpaceX gave conflicting accounts of the outages. The Pentagon referred the matter to the Air Force, which critics view as avoiding scrutiny of Musk's influence over critical communications. This follows Musk's admission that SpaceX restricted Starlink in Ukraine, citing alleged terms violations that Kyiv denies. Similar disruptions occurred in 2022 when Musk ordered shutdowns in Ukrainian regions over escalation fears.