US Secretary of State says Ukraine has requested access to military-grade version of Starlink for attacks inside Russia. Published October 18, 2026 October 18, 2026 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Starshield, the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite service, is not currently available for Ukraine, but that a request from kyiv to access the system for attacks inside Russia is “under discussion.” distinction with Starlink, the internet service provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. List of 3 items recommended storiesend of list”Starlink is a commercial product, okay? And that’s why it’s regulated and managed like a commercial product. Starshield is a defense product, a military product,” Rubio said, in comments published by the State Department. “They have asked for access to it to conduct deep attacks inside Russia. They don’t have access to it at this time,” he added. “That is in conversation.” Launched in 2022 and provided to the US government, Starshield is designed for military use as it enables deeper encryption to process sensitive information. SpaceX says it is primarily used by US defense agencies and other “government partners.” Last week, Ukrainian officials said restrictions on Starlink terminals had slowed some drones on the battlefield, as Ukraine tries to contain Russian forces in its nearly five-year war. In his remarks at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Rubio also rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s suggestion that the disruption of Starlink services in Ukraine reported Wednesday was deliberate. “Well, I don’t know what Zelenskyy” I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t deliberate. “We have nothing to do with it,” Rubio said. Zelenskyy said Saturday that satellites do not track antennas on flying objects traveling faster than 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour). This is affecting Ukrainian drones in their defense against Russian drones and in their own medium-range attacks, he added. Rubio said the United States had not ordered Starlink speeds to be reduced and that service had reportedly been restored to its previous level. Zelenskyy also criticized the waiver of sanctions on Saturday, saying that easing pressure on Russia would encourage new attacks. [President Vladimir] Putin: All this only encourages him to continue attacking,” Zelenskyy posted on social media, urging the United States to keep up the pressure on Moscow.
