US Lawmakers Seek Probe Into Starlink Disruption Affecting Ukraine
Senior Republican lawmakers Mike Turner and Kevin Cramer have called for a congressional investigation into disruptions to Starlink and Starshield services used by Ukrainian forces, after Zelenskyy suggested US-ordered restrictions — a claim Rubio and Bessent denied.
Senior Republican lawmakers have called for a congressional investigation into disruptions to satellite communications used by Ukrainian forces, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said services had not been fully restored and suggested restrictions were imposed following instructions from the US government.
Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio — a member of the House Armed Services Committee and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee — and Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota made the call on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “I mean, this is something where there needs to be an investigation. There needs to be a congressional investigation,” Turner said. “We need to find out who these people are, because lives are at risk and lives are lost over these things.”
Turner dismissed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s explanation — “We had nothing to do with that… nobody ordered that Starlink speed to be slowed down. It sort of happened” — with an “Absolutely not.” Cramer, who recently visited Ukraine and met Zelenskyy, allowed it could have been a technical fault: “It may very well have been some sort of a technical glitch. I don’t know for sure or whose call it was.”
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “President Trump and Secretary Rubio have categorically said that no one in the Trump administration did that,” calling Zelenskyy’s allegation reckless.
The demands follow an October 16 letter from nine bipartisan senators, led by Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, to Pentagon Inspector General Platte Moring III seeking a probe into October 12–14 disruptions that affected Ukrainian drones and aircraft and US personnel reaching bunkers during Russian air raids. Ukrainian testing reportedly found restrictions above about 63 mph; SpaceX reportedly acknowledged a 100 mph limit. Who ordered any restrictions remains unknown; the senators sought an initial briefing by November 1.
Sources: Gulf News, IANS via bhaskarlive, IANS Oct 16
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