Starlink Data Logs Show Ukraine Air Defense Network Slowed Before Kharkiv Drone Strike

A Russian drone struck a park in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on October 19, killing five people.

Yulia Spichak, a 34-year-old makeup artist, had just dropped her son at an English lesson and was sending a selfie to her sister when the impact occurred. Four others died in the attack, including a one-year-old girl. The strike happened six days after Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, limited Ukraine’s access to Starlink. Musk stated on X that Ukraine violated service terms by using the commercial network for offensive strikes against Russia.

Ukrainian officials told CBS News that the sudden restrictions affected ground-based air defense radars and drone interceptors. They said the changes hindered the military’s ability to stop incoming strikes without prior notice. Vadym Ivchenko, a Ukrainian member of parliament on the National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee, described the affected system as an essential part of air defense infrastructure. He noted that while other defenses remained operational, the compromised segment was critical for protecting civilians.

Photographs obtained by CBS News show that Starlink connectivity for these radars fell to 0.1 megabytes per second on the day of the attack. A source familiar with the technology said that speed is too low to load a basic webpage, let alone power radar systems. The source requested anonymity because they were not permitted to comment publicly on the matter.

Ukrainian officials confirmed on Saturday that Starlink access had been restored across the country. Musk acknowledged the throttling, writing that using a civilian commercial service to kill people had never been allowed. He said the loophole regarding offensive drone strikes was closed the previous week. Ukrainian officials also reported connectivity issues with Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade network that shares satellites with Starlink. Musk stated that the U.S. government controlled changes to Starshield. SpaceX did not respond to a comment request, and the White House pointed to President Trump’s remarks that he did not order the restrictions.

Alina Spichak, Yulia’s sister, visited the park on Sunday. She said the Geran-4 jet-powered drone arrived so quickly that victims did not hear it coming. She said she believes the world needs to understand that a war is happening in Ukraine and that the country is under attack. She expressed hope that the conflict will end soon.