KYIV — Ukraine accused the United States on Wednesday (Oct. 14) of helping Russia, charging Washington with failing to warn Kyiv of incoming Russian missile strikes and hobbling its military response through a slowdown of the Starlink satellite system its forces use on the battlefield. It is the most direct accusation yet that the U.S. has sided with Moscow during the nearly five-year war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on SpaceX owner Elon Musk to restore the service, saying Kyiv’s military has been left struggling to guide strike drones and interceptor drones as ballistic missiles have struck the capital for two nights running.

“I hope that it’s a mistake, maybe huge technical problem,” Zelensky told UK journalist Piers Morgan. “I don’t know, but we are asking to do it, to switch (it) on.”

What Ukraine Accuses the US of Helping Russia Over

Ukraine’s charge rests on two grievances. The first is the lack of warning about a wave of powerful strikes on the night of Oct. 13 and early Oct. 14, which Zelensky framed as “completely unjust.” The second is the reported throttling of Starlink speeds, which Kyiv says disrupted drone operations at the worst possible moment.

Ballistic missiles struck the Ukrainian capital for two consecutive nights, with air raid sirens sounding too late to warn people to take cover in basements, bomb shelters or metro stations, Channel News Asia reported. At least 15 people were killed around the country in the latest round of strikes, while significant damage to energy facilities knocked out power to swathes of Kyiv. The Hindu reported six dead in Kyiv alone, with power plants also coming under ballistic-missile attack in the eastern Kharkiv region, and Zhytomyr, Sumy and Chernihiv hit as well.

Zelensky accused Russia of wilfully flouting a supposed “energy ceasefire” announced unilaterally by U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Moscow had squandered a chance to ease hostilities.

Zelensky to Trump: “Painful” Choice of Sides

Asked by Morgan whether he felt “betrayed” after Trump announced a diesel-supply deal with heavily sanctioned Moscow, Zelensky replied in the affirmative.

“It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side,” he said, adding that he believed the U.S. president’s advisers were wrong and that the current course was not the right side of history.

Trump has abruptly turned on Zelensky in recent days, angrily demanding he stop Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and even suggesting the Ukrainian leader should be replaced, according to reports cited by The Hindu. Facing crunch mid-term elections next month, Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for rising fuel prices at the pump, though most experts say the real cause is the joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran since late February, which saw Tehran block the Strait of Hormuz.

Starlink and Starshield: How Ukraine Accuses the US of Helping Russia on the Battlefield

Ukrainian defence officials said SpaceX had “unilaterally restricted the operation of Starshield terminals… without prior warning,” hitting connectivity for its drones, The Hindu reported. The restrictions throttled the satellite links that Ukrainian forces use to guide strike drones and operate interceptor drones, with connections reportedly dropping for 10 to 20 seconds when drones travelled at just 110 to 120 km/h, according to Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Reaction Corps cited by Reuters.

Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said on Telegram that the attacks and the Starlink restrictions were more than a coincidence, describing the network as the most effective defence against jet-powered Russian Shahed-type attack drones that can fly at up to 600 km/h. “Through their actions, our partners are depriving us of one of the few chances we have to defend the country against jet-powered Shahed drones,” he wrote.

SpaceX’s satellite constellation has become a backbone of Ukraine’s drone warfare, carrying the communications that keep remotely operated weapons connected over the front line (read our coverage of SpaceX’s Starlink expansion and its 15,000-satellite plans). Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said later on Oct. 14 that Starlink operation at speeds up to 160 km/h was being restored, meaning strike and interceptor drones should be able to fly again.

Musk’s Defense: The U.S. Government Decides

Musk pushed back, saying any disruption was the responsibility of the U.S. government, not SpaceX. He drew a distinction between the military Starshield system, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications, and the parallel civilian Starlink system, which Ukraine also uses but is not permitted to deploy for offensive operations.

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” Musk said, adding that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately by the president.

According to Al Jazeera, the White House had not confirmed or denied Musk’s assertion, and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Disputed Intelligence Warning

A senior official in Kyiv told AFP that the United States had in recent days threatened to stop providing intelligence about Russian missile launches that Ukraine uses to thwart attacks. The official added: “It’s obvious they (the United States) are helping Russia for some reason.” Trump denied the claim on Tuesday, Oct. 13, so the allegation remains disputed.

One unnamed Ukrainian official told AFP there had already been two cases in which the Americans did not provide warnings about Russian ballistic launches, The Times reported. Sources have also told Reuters and other outlets that Washington threatened to cut intelligence used for early warnings unless Ukraine suspends attacks on Russian oil refineries — a claim that is likewise unconfirmed and denied by Trump.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the armed services and foreign relations committees, called for the restrictions on Ukraine’s Starshield access to stop immediately, saying lives were at stake, Al Jazeera reported.

Diesel Deals, Downing Street and a Watching Kremlin

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was watching for any sign that Washington’s backing for Ukraine may have shifted. Putin’s special envoy on economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said the first contracts on supplying diesel to the United States would be signed in the coming days, adding that Moscow was in “close, hourly contact” with the American side.

The row drew fire from Poland, which pays for Ukraine’s Starlink subscriptions. Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski challenged Musk directly on X: “Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?” he wrote, adding that European customers were watching. The jibe referenced a 2025 clash in which Musk told Sikorski to “be quiet, small man” after Musk suggested Ukraine’s front line would collapse if he switched Starlink off.

Zelensky, meanwhile, travelled to London on Wednesday, where he met the UK prime minister at Downing Street. The British government pledged accelerated military support and further sanctions on Moscow, calling the U.K.’s backing for Ukraine “rock solid.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Ukraine accuse the US of on Oct. 14?

Ukraine accused the United States of helping Russia in two ways: by failing to warn Kyiv of incoming Russian missile strikes on the night of Oct. 13 and early Oct. 14, and by hobbling its battlefield response through a slowdown of the Starlink/Starshield satellite systems its military uses for drone operations.

Why is Starlink so important to Ukraine’s military?

Ukraine’s forces rely on the satellite network to guide strike drones and operate interceptor drones. Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov called it the most effective defence against jet-powered Russian Shahed attack drones that fly at up to 600 km/h. Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Oct. 14 that Starlink operation at speeds up to 160 km/h was being restored.

What did Elon Musk say in response?

Musk said any disruption was the U.S. government’s responsibility, not SpaceX’s. He said Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president, distinguishing military Starshield from civilian Starlink.

Has the US admitted to withholding missile warnings?

No. A senior Kyiv official claimed to AFP that the U.S. threatened to stop sharing intelligence on Russian missile launches, but President Trump denied this on Oct. 13. The claim is disputed and unconfirmed. The lack of warning is rare in the conflict; Ukrainian officials have previously blamed hard-to-detect Russian missiles or technical issues.