Senators Shaheen and Coons Tell Musk to Preserve All SpaceX Records on Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield Access, With Written Confirmation Due November 30

U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chris Coons (D-DE) sent a letter on November 13 to SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk, demanding that he and SpaceX preserve all documents and communications relating to the disruption of Ukraine's access to SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield satellite services, and provide written confirmation by November 30 that all appropriate preservation measures have been implemented.

Between October 13 and October 24, 2026, restrictions on Starlink and Starshield disrupted communications services used by Ukrainian forces, including the links for interceptor drones defending civilian population centers against Russian missiles and drones, the senators wrote; during that period Russia launched nearly 4,000 aerial attacks against Ukraine, killing and injuring civilians. On November 12, 2026, President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian military reported renewed disruptions to Starshield across the entire front line and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, hindering Ukraine's ability to defend itself and putting civilian lives at risk.

The letter notes that statements about who ordered and approved the restrictions conflict: Musk has asserted that limitations on Starshield were decisions made by the U.S. military and ultimately the President; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth subsequently suggested that SpaceX could impose restrictions unilaterally under its terms of service; and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that decisions regarding Starlink access likewise rested with SpaceX. "The October and November restrictions now raise the disturbing possibility that these vulnerabilities persist even within systems on which the U.S. government relies," the senators wrote, adding that the United States cannot permit critical national security capabilities to be subject to opaque decision-making or unilateral disruption without government authorization and accountability.

The preservation demand covers records created from September 1, 2026, including contracts, task orders and technical specifications governing Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine; network logs, configuration changes and records of when restrictions were proposed, activated, modified or removed and who authorized them; communications involving Musk, SpaceX executives, the President, White House officials and Defense Department personnel; and records on failed Ukrainian interception missions and risks to civilians and American personnel. It extends to company business conducted on personal devices and encrypted messaging apps. The senators also demanded answers by November 30: how each restriction since October 1 was communicated, approved and directed, and who was responsible; whether SpaceX assessed the consequences for Ukrainian air defenses, civilian lives or American personnel; and which restrictions remain in effect, including an explanation of the renewed restrictions reported on November 12.

In an October 15 letter to the Defense Department's Inspector General, the senators had noted that during the October disruption, American diplomatic, military and security personnel in Kyiv struggled to reach designated shelters during Russian air raids, and that congressional staff in Ukraine witnessed the throttling firsthand. Reuters reported that SpaceX has denied imposing restrictions on Ukraine's satellite access this week. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had already sent Musk a record-preservation letter over the Starshield restrictions on November 5, saying it would pursue an inquiry when the new Congress takes office in January; this new letter from Shaheen and Coons follows the renewed Starshield disruption reported on November 12.

Related: Follow-up: Zelenskyy Says Starshield Throttled Again Across the Front, Making Interception of Russian Jet Drones Harder

Related: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sends Musk a Record-Preservation Letter Over Starshield Restrictions in Ukraine

(Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations)

Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：「星链」卫星在地球轨道上运行的渲染图（资料图）。 / Photo: Rendering of a Starlink satellite in orbit (file photo).

Latest in World

Zelenskyy: U.S. Floated a Donbas Withdrawal for NATO Membership for the First Time; a Full Security Package Would Go to a Referendum2026-11-14U.S. Central Command Says on November 13 It Shot Down Two Iranian Attack Drones Headed Toward Bahrain, With No Injuries and No Damage, Denying the Revolutionary Guard Claim of a Strike on a U.S. Radar (Follow-Up)2026-11-14