Ukraine partners with ICEYE and Nokia to build its own satellite network after Starshield disruptions

Ukraine's military signed a letter of intent with Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE to explore developing a sovereign satellite-communications network, following recent disruptions to its Starshield access. The Ukrainian military relies heavily on SpaceX's Starshield for drone operations, but experienced severe service throttling on Oct. 14 that caused drones to fall from the sky. The restriction's source remains unclear, with Elon Musk attributing control to the U.S. government. ICEYE has supported Ukraine since 2022 with synthetic aperture radar satellites for intelligence, while Nokia brings expertise in secure communications. The partnership follows an Oct. 1 agreement between the two companies to help nations build sovereign satcom systems.