Several Ukrainian military operations on the front line were derailed after sudden restrictions disrupted Starlink satellite communications. The changes took effect in the middle of the night without any advance warning, catching Ukrainian troops off guard. The Financial Times reported the disruption, citing senior Ukrainian officials and military personnel.
The restrictions particularly affected Ukrainian drone units. Early on Wednesday, October 14, their Starlink terminals began losing signal, interfering with operations on the battlefield. Former Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Sergey Sternenko explained that connections started dropping whenever the equipment was moving at speeds exceeding 160 kilometers per hour. According to him, the new limit created serious obstacles for Ukrainian forces.
The communications problems followed warnings from Washington over intelligence sharing with Kiev. On Monday, October 12, CNN reported that the Pentagon and the US State Department had informed Ukrainian authorities over the weekend that the United States was prepared to cut off intelligence supplies.
Vladimir Zelensky later confirmed that Ukraine’s Western partners had failed to provide Kiev with information about missile launches overnight into October 13. However, US President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that Washington was continuing to share intelligence with Ukraine.