Ukraine loses Starlink access; Europe has no immediate alternative

Ukraine accused the United States of restricting access to SpaceX's Starlink satellite technology and withholding intelligence, though Kyiv announced the network was restored on Thursday. Elon Musk attributed Starshield's sluggish performance to the Pentagon, not his company. Starshield is vital for coordinating Ukrainian forces, including drone operations, and signal disruptions forced some planned missions to be abandoned. Analyst Alain de Neve stated no European alternative currently exists to replace these systems for daily frontline operations, as fiber-optic drone connections offer inferior performance. Europe's Iris² satellite project, launched in December 2024 with 290 satellites planned by 2030, remains a long-term solution. OneWeb could only complement, not replace, Starlink, which has accumulated vast operational experience that European systems have yet to match.