Ukraine Adviser Says Satellite Restrictions Persist After Trump Claim

Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said Friday, Oct. 23, he saw no sign restrictions on military satellite service had been lifted, a day after President Donald Trump said Elon Musk had restored access.

“We are currently seeing no indication that the Starlink restrictions have been lifted,” Beskrestnov, known by the call sign Flash, wrote on Facebook.

Reps. Sam Liccardo, Ro Khanna and Jimmy Panetta asked White House chief of staff Susie Wiles to investigate the service interruptions. Their letter sought a government-wide inquiry into the decision to restrict SpaceX’s Starshield services supporting military and intelligence operations in Ukraine.

Trump told reporters Thursday, Oct. 22, “The bottom line: He put it back.”

The service involved remains disputed. Ukrainian officials have described the affected links as Starshield, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Ukraine uses Starlink and does not have access to Starshield. Sen. Richard Blumenthal separately opened an inquiry into Ukraine satellite restrictions.