Marine Corps Maj. Vincent Alvarez, right, and Lance Cpl. Lane Ballard adjust a Space X Starshield satellite at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., in December 2024. Starshield is a satellite-based communication network designed for secure and efficient data transfer and to conduct aviation support operations. (Jackson Rush/U.S. Marine Corps)
A bipartisan group of senators is calling for an immediate investigation into disruptions to intelligence sharing and SpaceX’s internet service in Ukraine, arguing they endangered U.S. diplomatic and military personnel in the country.
A letter demanding the probe was sent to the Pentagon’s inspector general on Thursday after Ukraine said its forces this week lost some access to a military-grade version of the Starlink satellite network called Starshield and were not warned of impending Russian missile attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said speed restrictions on Starshield, a critical battlefield communications system paid for by the Pentagon, had contributed to civilian deaths by hindering Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian drones.
He also said the country received no warning from its Western partners about Russian ballistic missile launches for several days in a row.
The disruptions came amid escalating tensions between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump after Trump announced a deal last week to import Russian diesel to lower fuel prices in the U.S. and called for Zelenskyy to be replaced.
The U.S. has denied that it cut back intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, but senators said interruptions to Starshield and early warning capabilities had put Americans in Ukraine at risk.
They said they were particularly alarmed by reports that U.S. diplomatic, military and security personnel experienced “serious difficulties” reaching designated bunkers during air raids due to the disruptions.
“The precise cause of these incidents, including whether they resulted from technical failures, interruptions in intelligence sharing, changes in U.S. government policy, or other factors, remains unclear,” the senators wrote. “Given the potentially deadly consequences, these incidents require immediate investigation.”
The letter calls for the inspector general to find out the cause of the disruptions and what measures are being implemented to ensure American personnel in Ukraine, including at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, receive reliable threat warnings. The embassy is guarded by Marines.
The letter was led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It was also signed by four Democrats and four Republicans.
The senators are urging the Pentagon’s inspector general, Platte Moring, to launch an investigation and provide written confirmation of its status, along with an initial briefing, by Nov. 1.
“The United States government has a fundamental obligation to protect American personnel serving overseas,” they wrote. “The possibility that American personnel were endangered by preventable disruptions, inadequate coordination, or decisions made by their own government demands immediate scrutiny and accountability.”