CITIZENS NEWS

Starlink’s global outage leaves Ukrainian troops in the dark as battlefield communications fail

By isabelle // 2025-07-25

• Elon Musk’s Starlink suffered a global outage for nearly three hours, disrupting Ukraine’s battlefield communications during war.
• The outage exposed Ukraine and the U.S. military’s risky reliance on private infrastructure for critical operations.
• SpaceX admitted the failure was due to internal software issues, raising concerns about security and accountability.
• Musk apologized, but the incident highlights vulnerabilities when military operations depend on corporate-controlled systems.
• The outage underscores urgent questions about national security and the risks of privatizing strategic assets.

Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, a lifeline for Ukrainian forces battling Russian aggression, suffered a catastrophic global outage on Thursday, leaving soldiers stranded without critical battlefield communications for nearly three hours. The disruption, caused by an internal software failure, exposed the dangerous overreliance of both Ukraine and the U.S. military on privately owned infrastructure, raising urgent questions about national security, wartime preparedness, and the risks of handing strategic assets to corporate interests.

A blackout on the front lines

The outage struck at 3:13 p.m. ET, paralyzing Ukraine’s network of over 40,000 Starlink terminals, which troops use to coordinate drone strikes, relay intelligence, and maintain contact amid intense fighting. Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, confirmed the system was offline for two and a half hours before connectivity was restored early Friday. "Connectivity has been fully reestablished along the entire front line," he wrote on Telegram, but the damage was already done, proving just how vulnerable modern warfare has become to the whims of Silicon Valley. Musk swiftly apologized on X, vowing SpaceX would "remedy root cause to ensure it doesn’t happen again." But for Ukrainian soldiers under fire, apologies don’t stop bullets. Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s Starlink engineering VP, later admitted the crash stemmed from a "failure of key internal software services" in a startling admission for a system marketed as unshakable.

The military’s dangerous outsourcing

The outage reignites a glaring question: Why is the U.S. military—and by extension, its allies—dependent on a billionaire’s satellites? Starlink, designed for civilian use, has morphed into a de facto military asset without the hardened security protocols expected of defense infrastructure. The Pentagon’s deepening ties to Musk’s empire—including multibillion-dollar contracts for Starshield, SpaceX’s military subsidiary—smack of corporate capture. Where are the secure, government-controlled satellite networks taxpayers already funded? Instead, troops now gamble on a system vulnerable to software glitches, hacking, or even Musk’s personal whims. After all, this is the same CEO who openly feuds with Ukrainian leaders, once declaring President Zelensky "despised by the people" and blocking Starlink access during a planned Ukrainian attack on Russia’s fleet. This fiasco isn’t just about Ukraine. It’s a wake-up call for all who cherish sovereignty and self-reliance. When private companies control the backbone of global communications, liberties are outsourced to boardrooms. The outage’s timing during a war proves the stakes. Was it incompetence? A sabotaged update? Or something darker? SpaceX’s rapid satellite launches—over 8,000 since 2020—have outpaced accountability. Now, militaries, airlines, and emergency services hang by a thread. Even T-Mobile’s new satellite texting service, powered by Starlink, faced uncertainty during the outage. CrowdStrike’s 2023 Windows meltdown, which crippled airports and hospitals, offers a disturbing parallel: When corporations fail, the public pays. Despite clashing with Kyiv, Musk insists he won’t abandon Ukraine: "Starlink will never turn off its terminals," he pledged earlier this year. But trust isn’t a strategy. By centralizing power in his hands, Musk—however well-intentioned—creates a single point of failure. What happens if geopolitical winds shift? Or if costs spike? Thursday’s outage was more than a glitch—it was a flashing red light. As wars rage and governments delegate vital infrastructure to profit-driven entities, citizens must ask: Who really controls the tools of liberty? Starlink’s stumble proves even "reliable" tech can fail. Sources for this article include: RT.com Reuters.com TheVerge.com

glitch Elon Musk collapse Ukraine national security big government chaos dangerous tech giants WWIII Big Tech satellite Internet starlink