Starlink disruptions hit Ukrainian drones amid US-Russia diesel deal tensions

Ukrainian military units reported sudden Starlink service disruptions on Wednesday, affecting drone operations at high speeds. The outages come amid escalating tensions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Trump administration over a US-Russia diesel agreement. SpaceX has not confirmed or explained the changes, which reportedly cause connection losses for Starshield-equipped drones traveling over 100 miles per hour. Zelenskyy's defense technology adviser Serhii Beskrestnov called the disruption politically motivated, while Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriyev celebrated it as a turning point. The disruptions follow Elon Musk's criticism of Zelenskyy's strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Musk previously pledged Starlink would never be used as leverage, but Ukrainian officials warn the restrictions weaken their ability to intercept Russian Shahed drones. The outages coincide with continued Russian attacks despite a claimed ceasefire on energy infrastructure.