The Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf has ordered two 19-year-old Germans held pending extradition to Bulgaria, which accuses them of setting fire to Starlink antennas at a satellite ground station near Sofia, the court and Düsseldorf prosecutors said on 29 October. The men, from Duisburg and Moers, were arrested on 23 October, German prosecutors told Reuters.

As Russia presses its war on Ukraine, Starlink keeps Ukraine’s drone units and front-line troops connected, and its ground sites in Europe have become targets. Within a month, fires and attempted fires hit Starlink sites in Poland, Bulgaria, and Lithuania, and Warsaw and Vilnius have linked them to Russia. The Bulgarian case now has its first arrests, and Sofia says the same pair struck another EU country, which would make it more than a one-off.

Sofia says the pair struck another EU country on 18 October

Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said he expected both suspects to be handed over to Bulgaria, and that the same two carried out a similar attack in another EU member state on 18 October, the state news agency BTA reported on 28 October. He did not name the country outright, but went on to cite Lithuania’s prime minister on an attempted arson there.

Overnight on 18 October, intruders tried to set fire to a Lithuanian company that stores Starlink equipment used by Ukraine, but tipped-off guards foiled the attempt. Lithuania’s prime minister called it part of Russia’s hybrid war.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the suspects had been detained in Germany several days earlier, and that disclosing their names sooner would have let them flee. The opposition wants to know whether a foreign security service warned Bulgaria at least a week before the attack, and how two 19-year-olds could enter the country and leave unnoticed. Parliament has failed three times to gather a quorum for a sitting to hear Radev and the security chiefs.

The suspects refuse a quick handover

The two did not agree to a simplified extradition, and the court will rule later on whether handing them over is admissible, according to the court’s statement carried by the dts news agency. Any extradition is to be approved only on the condition that, after a final sentence, they are offered a transfer back to Germany to serve it. Their lawyers plan to contest the Bulgarian warrant, dpa reported.

Bulgarian prosecutors say the pair crossed from Serbia as tourists on 9 October, set fire to eight antennas at the Plana teleport south of Sofia, and drove back to Serbia the same night. They were charged in absentia, a Sofia court confirmed European arrest warrants for them, and they face three to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Sofia City prosecutors announced the arrests on 27 October and said German authorities are gathering evidence for the case under a European investigation order. The pre-trial investigation continues, they said.

The crisis in Ukraine over restrictions on the military use of SpaceX’s satellite constellation in the Russia-Ukraine war won’t be readily resolved. US lawmakers and the European Commission have now joined the fray, raising questions about the accountability of Trump administration officials and SpaceX executives. Nobody likes being held accountable, so even lifting the restrictions […]

The post The untold story of Ukraine’s Starlink crisis appeared first on Asia Times.

The Pentagon’s independent inspector general has declined a bipartisan request to investigate restrictions imposed on Starlink and Starshield satellite communications in Ukraine, leaving unresolved questions about who authorised the disruption, whether Washington was involved, and how much control Elon Musk exercises over infrastructure essential to Ukraine’s defence.

The decision, disclosed by the Associated Press on 28 October, follows complaints from Ukrainian officials that restrictions introduced earlier this month disrupted military drone operations, including attempts to intercept high-speed Russian attack drones.

Nine US senators, comprising five Democrats and four Republicans, had requested an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the interruption.

Instead, Pentagon Inspector General Platte Moring III informed lawmakers in a letter dated 27 October that the questions would be better addressed by the US Air Force and Space Force.

The response has intensified a dispute extending beyond Ukraine’s battlefield communications to the relationship between the American government, its defence contractors and the private companies supplying critical military technology.

Senators Demand Answers Over Starlink Restrictions

The investigation was requested by senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, alongside seven colleagues from both parties.

Their 15 October letter sought to establish whether Pentagon officials or other US government representatives had authorised, approved or received advance notice of changes affecting Ukraine’s satellite communications.

The senators also raised concerns about reported disruptions to intelligence-sharing and early-warning arrangements, including allegations that American personnel in Ukraine experienced difficulties reaching shelters during Russian air raids.

They wanted investigators to determine whether these incidents were connected, whether contractual obligations had been breached and whether SpaceX had acted independently.

Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticised the inspector general’s decision.

She argued that contradictory explanations from the Trump administration and SpaceX made an independent examination necessary to establish responsibility and prevent further disruptions.

Mollie Halpern, spokeswoman for the inspector general’s office, defended the decision, saying the congressional request had been carefully considered and that the issues were more appropriately handled within the Pentagon.

She nevertheless left open the possibility of reconsideration if additional information emerged.

Who Ordered the Slowdown?

The controversy began around 14 October, when Ukrainian forces reported that equipment using Starlink and its military-oriented counterpart, Starshield, was losing connectivity when travelling at higher speeds.

The restrictions were particularly damaging to unmanned aircraft.

Ukraine reported communications failures at movement speeds of approximately 130–161 kilometres per hour, limiting the effectiveness of certain strike drones and jet-powered interceptors used against Russian attacks.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk personally authorised the slowdown, although accounts differed over whether President Donald Trump or senior administration officials knew about the decision beforehand.

Musk subsequently acknowledged that SpaceX had imposed restrictions on commercial Starlink services, alleging that Ukrainian forces had violated the company’s terms of service by using the network for offensive operations.

Ukrainian representatives disputed that explanation.

Musk also maintained that Starshield was a separate system controlled by the US government, suggesting that decisions affecting its operation ultimately rested with American authorities.

Trump denied ordering the restrictions.

The differing accounts have left unanswered whether the interruption resulted from a corporate decision, an American government directive or a combination of the two.

Trump Intervention and Restoration of Services

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump contacted Musk on 21 October and requested the removal of the restrictions.

Although some improvement followed, Ukrainian officials initially reported that the systems had not returned to full functionality.

On 24 October, however, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that normal performance had been restored, with stable communications recorded on equipment moving at speeds exceeding 400 kilometres per hour.

President Volodymyr Zelensky subsequently confirmed the restoration and thanked American officials and partners involved in resolving the problem.

The restoration addressed the immediate operational disruption but did not establish who had originally authorised the restrictions.

Private Technology and Military Accountability

The episode has renewed scrutiny of the Pentagon’s dependence on SpaceX, whose satellite networks have become important components of Ukrainian battlefield communications.

Starshield was developed to serve government and national security requirements, including military applications. Nevertheless, the dispute illustrates the difficulty of determining responsibility when essential defence capabilities depend on systems developed and operated by commercial contractors.

The issue has historical precedent.

In 2022, Musk ordered restrictions on Starlink availability in parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine, citing concerns that expanded military use might escalate the conflict.

The latest incident has prompted renewed discussion of whether contractual arrangements provide sufficient safeguards against unexpected interruptions.

Following the October restrictions, Finnish satellite company ICEYE announced discussions with Nokia and Ukraine’s Defence Ministry concerning cooperation on sovereign satellite communications.

Such alternatives could eventually reduce dependence on individual commercial providers, although developing and deploying replacement capabilities would require additional investment and time.

For American lawmakers, meanwhile, the immediate question remains unresolved.

The Pentagon has directed their concerns towards the military services responsible for aspects of satellite communications, rather than opening an independent inspector general investigation.

Whether those services can establish precisely who ordered the restrictions, what authority was exercised and whether contractual safeguards were observed will determine how much accountability emerges from the episode.

For Ukraine, the communications have been restored. The question of who could interrupt them, and under whose authority, remains unanswered.

The refusal is interpreted by sources familiar with the matter as a way to avoid investigating Elon Musk and Starlink, AP reported.