Political impacts of Ukraine war

[HavokFour]

Musk is providing combat support to Putin again.

Russian strikes leave 600,000 without power in Ukraine, as Starlink restrictions affect front line operations

Critical energy infrastructure is hit, as Ukraine says speed restrictions of Elon Musk's Starlink are disrupting battlefield missions.

www.bbc.com

And it's not consumer terminals to be clear. They're throttling Starshield terminals, the purpose built military ones. What a fantastic advertisement for American defense products.

 

[PuckChaser]

The consumer terminals have been throttled for traveling speed for years.

 

[dapaterson]

The consumer terminals have been throttled for traveling speed for years.

And Musk is showing that he will also throttle military equipment at his own whim.

Not a credible military product when usability is arbitrarily cut off.

 

[Cloud Cover]

So indict him along with the Russians. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

 

[RangerRay]

Musk is providing combat support to Putin again.

Russian strikes leave 600,000 without power in Ukraine, as Starlink restrictions affect front line operations

Critical energy infrastructure is hit, as Ukraine says speed restrictions of Elon Musk's Starlink are disrupting battlefield missions.

www.bbc.com

A great advertisement for product reliability…

He can get on his rocket and f* off to Mars anytime.

 

[GR66]

A great advertisement for product reliability…

He can get on his rocket and f* off to Mars anytime.

According to this article on CNN Musk it's the US Government not him that has restricted access for Ukraine.

Kyiv, Ukraine —

Ukrainian authorities say Starlink has restricted some military internet services, disrupting operations amid an escalating dispute with the Trump administration.


Ukrainian authorities said they were caught off-guard by restrictions on the military-grade version of Elon Musk’s Starlink, called Starshield.

Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government and any limits on its speed or usage are up to the US military and president, SpaceX CEO Musk said on his social media platform X, adding that Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX and is limited to civilian or defensive activities.

Musk said Starlink “cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”

The decision to limit Ukrainian access to Starshield was not a high-level US policy decision, according to two US officials.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on Musk’s remarks on Starshield.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces are trying to leverage the Starlink disruption. With 124 drones launched by Russia overnight and another 145 during the day, Zelensky called it “one of the largest attacks.”

“It is clear that the Russians are trying to take advantage of the problems with Starlink in Ukraine, as our interceptor drones depend on this connection among other things,” he posted to X.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/14/europe/zelensky-trump-russia-fuel-deal-latam-intl

 

[HavokFour]

Reportedly functionality has been restored, and after 3 days of only Ukraine observing Trumps energy "ceasefire" it's now refinery open season once again.

Military Starlink Service Restored in Ukraine After Speed Restrictions, Defense Sources Say

Reports from Ukrainian units confirmed Starshield connectivity was working again, while also seeking answers about Wednesday’s restrictions.

www.kyivpost.com

Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Is Done Holding Back on Russian Oil Refineries

Ukraine lifted its ban on strikes against Russian oil refinery targets after a three-day pause requested by the US, President Zelenskyy said.

united24media.com

But there seems to be a lot of deflection on who was actually responsible for the throttling. Interestingly the White House is saying it has no control over a military product (Starshield).

Musk Says US Military and Trump Decide Starshield Limits as Zelensky Accuses Russia of Exploiting Outage

Starlink is being restored at up to 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), Ukraine’s former defense minister Fedorov said, as the UK fast-tracks missiles against jet-powered Shaheds.

www.kyivpost.com

White House Denies Restricting Starlink in Ukraine, Says SpaceX Is Beyond Its Control

US officials told Ukraine they do not control SpaceX after new Starlink speed restrictions disrupted drone operations in the Huliaipole sector, Zaporizhzhia.

united24media.com

Meanwhile hot off the heels of the diesel deal...

US urges Europe to unblock some Russian assets

The EU holds around €210 billion in frozen Russian central-bank assets.

tvpworld.com

 

[Eaglelord17]

Reportedly functionality has been restored, and after 3 days of only Ukraine observing Trumps energy "ceasefire" it's now refinery open season once again.

Military Starlink Service Restored in Ukraine After Speed Restrictions, Defense Sources Say

Reports from Ukrainian units confirmed Starshield connectivity was working again, while also seeking answers about Wednesday’s restrictions.

www.kyivpost.com

Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Is Done Holding Back on Russian Oil Refineries

Ukraine lifted its ban on strikes against Russian oil refinery targets after a three-day pause requested by the US, President Zelenskyy said.

united24media.com

But there seems to be a lot of deflection on who was actually responsible for the throttling. Interestingly the White House is saying it has no control over a military product (Starshield).

Musk Says US Military and Trump Decide Starshield Limits as Zelensky Accuses Russia of Exploiting Outage

Starlink is being restored at up to 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), Ukraine’s former defense minister Fedorov said, as the UK fast-tracks missiles against jet-powered Shaheds.

www.kyivpost.com

White House Denies Restricting Starlink in Ukraine, Says SpaceX Is Beyond Its Control

US officials told Ukraine they do not control SpaceX after new Starlink speed restrictions disrupted drone operations in the Huliaipole sector, Zaporizhzhia.

united24media.com

Meanwhile hot off the heels of the diesel deal...

US urges Europe to unblock some Russian assets

The EU holds around €210 billion in frozen Russian central-bank assets.

tvpworld.com

What a bunch of cowards, can’t even admit to what they are doing. People are dying and they are playing little games and pretending they are not.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Sharing some of the int love ...

Trophylab: Hundreds Of Foreign Companies Access Research On Russian Weapons Captured In Ukraine

A Ukrainian platform that shares captured Russian and North Korean military hardware for “destructive testing” and other research has granted access to 376 foreign companies and agencies since its launch, RFE/RL has learned.

www.rferl.org

https://trophylab.mod.gov.ua/en/

 

[GR66]

Ukrainian cruise missiles hit six Su-34 bombers deep inside Russia

Satellite imagery of Russia’s Borisoglebsk air base shows that a Ukrainian Neptune missile strike destroyed four Su-34 fighter-bombers and badly damaged two more, backing up the Ukrainian Navy’s claim that it hit six of the jets on the night of

defence-blog.com

I'm sure it's these kinds of Ukrainian strikes that are the reason for this:

Russia builds giant bomber shelters at Engels air base

Russia has nearly finished the steel frames for the first three of 16 large aircraft shelters it is building at Engels-2, the main base for its strategic bomber fleet, satellite imagery published by open-source analysis group AviVector shows. An Airbus

defence-blog.com

Aircraft shelters are going to be required at all airfields due to the risk from both missiles (as shown in Russia and at US bases in the Middle East) and small drones (as shown in Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb). The days of leaving aircraft parked on the tarmac are gone. I hope we learn the lesson before it's too late.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Ukrainian cruise missiles hit six Su-34 bombers deep inside Russia

Satellite imagery of Russia’s Borisoglebsk air base shows that a Ukrainian Neptune missile strike destroyed four Su-34 fighter-bombers and badly damaged two more, backing up the Ukrainian Navy’s claim that it hit six of the jets on the night of

defence-blog.com

I'm sure it's these kinds of Ukrainian strikes that are the reason for this:

Russia builds giant bomber shelters at Engels air base

Russia has nearly finished the steel frames for the first three of 16 large aircraft shelters it is building at Engels-2, the main base for its strategic bomber fleet, satellite imagery published by open-source analysis group AviVector shows. An Airbus

defence-blog.com

Aircraft shelters are going to be required at all airfields due to the risk from both missiles (as shown in Russia and at US bases in the Middle East) and small drones (as shown in Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb). The days of leaving aircraft parked on the tarmac are gone. I hope we learn the lesson before it's too late.

Challenge is that aircraft have gotten bigger since the cold war, driving shelter costs up. I suspect revetments with metal roofing is what you are going to see, that reduce the damage and makes it harder to determine which ones have aircraft in them. Some sort of door/tarp in the front as well. Looks like some companies are working on the issue.

https://www.pacaf.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3345467/expedient-small-asset-protection-shelter-system-advances-ace-in-the-pacific-reg/

 

[RangerRay]

Genius, America. Genius

 

[daftandbarmy]

Trump, one day, will no doubt discover that karma is a thing in future ....

Trump and Putin’s ‘terrible’ alliance threatens to strain EU’s resolve on Ukraine​

Several EU leaders want to revive the bitter debate over raiding Russia’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will make a direct pitch to European leaders for more help on Friday, amid a crisis of faith among allies over Donald Trump’s latest steps favoring Russia.

At the second day of an EU summit in Brussels, Zelenskyy joins European prime ministers and presidents as they discuss Ukraine’s need for more weapons and cash, with concern growing that Kyiv faces a shortfall of billions of euros next year.

The reality of the threat to European security from the four-year-long war penetrated the summit bubble after air drones hit two ships in or near Romanian waters, prompting emergency talks with NATO.

Trump and Putin’s ‘terrible’ alliance threatens to strain EU’s resolve on Ukraine

Several EU leaders want to revive the bitter debate over raiding Russia’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s war.

www.politico.eu

 

[McG]

And it's not consumer terminals to be clear. They're throttling Starshield terminals, the purpose built military ones. What a fantastic advertisement for American defense products.

New reports are that Trump provided combat support to Russia via Musk’s system. So one needs to worry about buying any US system, not just the stuff from Starlink. Maybe Trump turns off F-35s next time he disagrees with NATO.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/order-limit-starshield-ukraine-came-inside-white-house-sources-say-2026-10-15/

 

[HavokFour]

Back to cleaning up the internet.

Ukrainian drones reportedly strike Yandex data center, warehouses in overnight attack on Russia

According to monitoring channels ExileNova+ and SuperNova+, Russian technology giant Yandex's data center in Vladimir Oblast, around 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, was targeted in the overnight operation.

kyivindependent.com

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Back to cleaning up the internet.

Ukrainian drones reportedly strike Yandex data center, warehouses in overnight attack on Russia

According to monitoring channels ExileNova+ and SuperNova+, Russian technology giant Yandex's data center in Vladimir Oblast, around 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, was targeted in the overnight operation.

kyivindependent.com

They really are doing God’s work.

 

[HavokFour]

Russian MoD itself got caught sharing AI generated videos to prove gains.

 

[HavokFour]

Backstabbers being backstabbed by backstabbers.

However, after what was described as a “night of carnage” in Kyiv because of the blackout, a senior source said Mr Musk had been alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe.

The source said: “He tweeted out that he was innocent and that it was the US administration that did it. The reality is that they were both in it.”

A high-ranking European official and two well-placed Ukrainian sources confirmed this version of events.

[The Telegraph]Exclusive: Musk approached Trump to slow down Starlink in Ukraine​

 

[RangerRay]

Probably shouldn’t have a key piece of national defence technology under the somewhat control of a narcissistic ketamine-addict.

 

[Brad Sallows]

There's enough tinfoil-hattery among the claims that I'm gonna wait a while for the current Starlink story to resemble truth. I highly doubt this is going to be the one time for sure that a bunch of people got a highly controversial story exactly right.

Meanwhile it's a fact that Musk was at one time a hero for making Starlink quickly available to Ukraine, and that Starlink wouldn't exist without him (and there is not much evidence a bunch of other potential providers were lined up to deploy similar highly novel capabilities). So many people revile him for one particular political choice, and/or seem to think that all his immense net worth was unfairly obtained and is squirreled away somewhere doing nothing instead of embedded in productive uses highly valuable to the human community, and bitch and complain when he isn't doing exactly what they think he should be doing with his privately controlled enterprises. If only all those people with big ideas for spending money had big ideas for making it, so they could do their own work instead of seeking well-paid jobs agitating for spending someone else's.