r/centrist • u/Urdok_ • 3d ago
Ukraine’s Vulnerability Grows as Starlink Is Restricted and Russia Escalates
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/14/world/europe/ukraine-starlink-energy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IlE.PjE2.2rjlV4MXUmp_23
u/tribbleorlfl 3d ago
BBC reported this morning Elmo actually doesn't control StarShield, the Pentagon does. This order came from the top.
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u/ubermence 3d ago
We’re having scattered reports about it being back up but the fact that it ever went down in the first place because our president is a petulant manchild is a black mark on our country.
Also feels a lot like Elon aiding and abetting an enemy to the US, but I’m not a lawyer soooo…
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u/Urdok_ 3d ago
This is not about Trump being petulant. This is about him sabotaging an ally because he wants business deals with Russia and personally likes Putin. He's a traitor and this is treason.
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u/LittleKitty235 3d ago
He clearly is getting information of kompromat from Russia that he uses for political leverage, both on his political opponents and allies.
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u/Odd-Local9893 3d ago
This is Trump pressuring Ukraine to come to the negotiating table. What I don’t understand is why is it always a stick with Zelensky and a carrot with Putin? Maybe I’m just naive to the bigger picture.
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u/btribble 3d ago
Trump laundered money for Russia via real estate transactions for years. They, along with Saudi Arabia, currently invest in and help drive his cryptocurrency ventures.
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u/ChornWork2 3d ago
B/c trump is a thug and believes in large powers having their sphere of influence, and has no regard for human rights, democracy, alliances, etc.
And that comes out in both the formal NSS and NDS docs his admin put out. PDF links below, worth a peruse if you haven't already.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf
https://media.defense.gov/2026/Jan/23/2003864773/-1/-1/0/2026-national-defense-strategy.pdf
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u/Conn3er 3d ago
Putin has nukes and is an adversary we have no control over and Zelensky is the dependent.
Cant be seen as being hostile to the adversary or giving preferential treatment to the "ally"
The bigger picture, if you believe the Russians, is that they are preparing to go scorched earth on Ukraine when the ground freezes; there is a lot of incentive to try and have a deal made in the coming weeks and the only way to get the deal done is to placate the ego and force the hand, respectively. If Trump could force both hands, he would, but it's not effective.
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u/Opposite-Cranberry76 3d ago
There is no strategy of this kind happening. He's been a willing asset of Russia for decades. He's betraying every ally. It's not deep. There is no 3d chess.
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u/RFK_Cum_Regimen 3d ago
We know who the bad guys are in this scenario. Trump, Putin, Musk. That's all you need to know.
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u/GrowthDue5259 3d ago
I miss the good ole days when America stood up to autocrats in order defend democratic values. Ww2, the Cold War. Is America becoming great again by aligning ourselves with autocrats?
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u/I_Tell_You_Wat 3d ago
Once again, I am begging Democrats to be the "hold the current regime accountable at every level". Who made the decision to cut off Starlink? Who directed them to? Who else was included in the decision?
The only question should be "how many years?"
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u/ChornWork2 3d ago
Musk confirmed it was Trump.
Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS. Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.
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u/I_Tell_You_Wat 3d ago edited 3d ago
I don't believe that he is telling the full story here. I don't believe the Ukrainian military would rely on a private/commercial Starlink connection. Starlink has burned them before, I remember their Internet getting shut down during a counterattack. I'm pretty sure this is an agreed-upon connection, that the USA keeps fucking with then saying "it's only defensive". This sure seems like a defensive operation, even.
The Ukrainian military has a contract. I don't believe the contract says what Elon Musk, known liar and Nazi-salute thrower, implies it does. The executive branch executes laws and contracts. It does not make them up.
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u/ChornWork2 3d ago
Sure, obviously a short tweet in the best of times isn't going to be the full story, let alone when the person tweeting it is a turd like musk. But if he is not going to point the finger at trump unless it was trump.
I don't believe the Ukrainian military would rely on a private/commercial Starlink connection.
yes and no. it is a starlink provided system, but it is administered by the pentagon (as Musk is saying in his tweet). ideally ukraine wouldn't rely on either US or starlink, but there isn't another alternative that is remotely as capable.
Starshield is a program Starlink offers to the US govt. Ukraine is contracting with US govt to use Starshield.
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u/Anima6778 3d ago
I think Starshield wasn't really around at the time the war first kicked off/caused those incidents. I think the implication is that Ukraine's on a Starshield system (controlled by the US, only designed by SpaceX) and that's how Trump fucked them over.
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u/Dry-Nectarine-3279 3d ago
I think it's plausible. Elon and Starlink is ultimately in the US jurisdiction and under the government's power. Hard to know who to trust though.
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u/ChornWork2 3d ago
it was already known, just citing musk b/c makes it clear to folks who don't know the background of what Starshield is (the defense subsidiary of Starlink) and how ukraine has access (via the pentagon).
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u/Honorable_Heathen 3d ago
The idea that Elon pulled access because Ukraine hit Yandex where the bot farms that impact the election of almost every country is one that has legs.
The man is spending 300m~ to influence the election. I can only imagine how much is gong to bot farms in Russia.
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u/shoot_your_eye_out 3d ago
This is so evil. And the idea that a private citizen wields the power to influence the outcome of geopolitical conflict is honestly a fucking batshit crazy idea
Edit: starlink should be seized and nationalized. Call me a socialist if you like, but the idea that a single person has this sort of power is utterly insane
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u/Dry-Nectarine-3279 3d ago
I don't see how Europe can't treat the US as hostile at this point. Yes, I know there's nuance and balance in diplomacy, but that's the direction things are going.
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u/ltron2 2d ago
When the US fascist regime is working to bring fascism to our shores under the guise of 'saving Western civilisation' then it's difficult not to think that we shouldn't be in any way dependent and that their efforts must be resisted (I hope that strong measures are being taken behind the scenes).
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u/Educational_Impact93 3d ago
The Temusolini really can't stand that Ukraine has defied his predictions and remained competent for this many years. Well that and he's making his BFF Putin look bad.
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u/Individual_Lion_7606 3d ago
Musk does know that Ukraine has intellivence OPs who can check notes bomb and kill Russian wartime bussiness men inside Moscow unstopped right?
Why is he playing with fire?
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u/Urdok_ 3d ago
Ukraine found access to Starlink limited without warning, which caused several missions to fail. This comes on the heels of President Trump demanding Ukraine stop attacks on Russian energy production facilities. Musk, a Trump ally, is the chief executive of Starlink and has previously used that position to prevent Ukraine from achieving military successes.
Comments: This is treason. Musk and Trump are helping Putin, who is funding and sharing intel with Iran.