Key facts
- Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis urged Congress to determine who ordered or approved the Starshield disruptions and hold those responsible accountable.
- The senators said the Pentagon and SpaceX must preserve all records and turn over contracts and communications Congress needs.
- Denys Sienik said Ukraine has no clarification from SpaceX or the Pentagon on the slowdown, which started gradually several days earlier.
- The senators called it outrageous that Ukraine reported Starshield disruptions for the second time in about four weeks.
- Russia struck at least six Ukrainian large power substations with 163 drones overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, per the Institute for the Study of War.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) issued a statement obtained exclusively by The Hill on November 12, 2026 urging Congress to conduct oversight on Kyiv's reports of disruptions to Starshield satellites, impacting the country's ability to defend against Russian attacks. "Congress must determine who ordered or approved these disruptions and hold those responsible accountable," the senators, who are both leaving at the end of the 119th Congress, wrote. "The Pentagon and SpaceX must preserve all records, turn over the contracts and communications Congress needs to establish the facts, and put safeguards in place so this never happens again."
The lawmakers called it "outrageous" that Ukraine was reporting disruptions to Starshield for the second time in about four weeks. Ukraine uses Starshield systems to direct drones and munitions for offensive and defensive capabilities. Starshield services stopped working for objects traveling more than 100 mph, Ukraine's top diplomat in the U.S., Denys Sienik, said in a statement Thursday. "We experienced speed limitation as of now on Ukrainian occupied territories and across the contact line," said Sienik, who serves as deputy chief of mission and chargé d'affaires at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. "The contact line is the first line of our defense and the first point for interception of Russian drones," Sienik said, noting the slowdown started gradually several days ago. "We don't have clarification from SpaceX or Pentagon at the moment."