Carney blames satellite speed cap for Ukrainian civilian deaths

Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on Friday in Istanbul that limits on Ukraine's access to the Starshield satellite network are directly costing lives. He questioned the judgment of the individuals who approved the restrictions, calling the decision difficult to describe with a single adjective.

Ukrainian officials announced early last week that they lost partial access to Starshield, the military grade version of SpaceX's Starlink system. The network allows Ukraine to track incoming missiles and jet powered drones while guiding interceptors. Starlink separately handles critical internal communications for the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the restrictions prevent his country from tracking drones and missiles traveling faster than 160 kilometres per hour. He stated that this gap has complicated efforts to repel Russian attacks, resulting in civilian deaths that include children.

Carney agreed with the Ukrainian assessment. He said the restrictions have real human consequences and that recent deaths are direct casualties of the reduced tracking ability. He pointed to an attack in central Kyiv within the previous 36 hours, describing it as a strike on citizens with no military target that caused immense human suffering.

Responsibility for the curbs remains disputed. Reuters reported last week that two U.S. officials said the order came from the White House. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Elon Musk ordered it personally. Musk stated that the U.S. government and President Donald Trump decide on restrictions, while Trump denied ordering the cuts.

Trump said on Thursday that Musk had restored Ukraine's access. Zelenskyy contradicted this in a CNN interview, stating the system still does not work. Ukrainian military officials confirmed on Friday that the restrictions remain in place. Zelenskyy told NBC in a Sunday interview that he believes the American government sent a message to limit speed, which SpaceX carried out technically.

Zelenskyy is moving to reduce reliance on the U.S. network. On Thursday, he signed a letter of intent with Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE to develop a Ukrainian satellite communications network. Carney noted that Canada is also highly reliant on specific foreign systems and is working to build sovereign capabilities to diversify its partnerships.