White House secret order throttles Ukraine's Starshield drone communications

The White House issued a secret order restricting a satellite system used by Ukraine for battlefield communications and drone operations, according to two American officials and one Western official familiar with the situation who spoke to Reuters. The directive slowed the SpaceX Starshield service, impacting Ukrainian military performance. The order to throttle the Starshield service, the military-grade version of Starlink, came amid US pressure on Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian refineries. Ukrainian officials said the restrictions complicated attack missions and slowed interceptor drones, though terminals now reportedly work at speeds up to 160 km/h. The Pentagon is Starshield's largest client. The move follows a tense October 9 meeting in Miami where US officials expressed frustration over Ukrainian strikes, and coincides with a US-Russia diesel deal criticized by lawmakers. Elon Musk stated Starshield systems are controlled by the US government, while President Trump denied issuing such a request.