Two Democratic US senators have demanded that Elon Musk preserve SpaceX records relating to reported restrictions on satellite communications used by Ukraine, setting the stage for a congressional investigation. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Chris Coons of Delaware asked for records dating back to September 1, including communications involving Musk, SpaceX executives, the White House and the Pentagon. They want written confirmation by November 30 that the documents are being preserved. Ukraine says unexpected restrictions on Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, have disrupted drone strikes on Russian positions and slowed interceptor drones used against incoming Russian drones. After October outages appeared to be resolved, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported renewed disruptions on November 12 and said on November 13 that restrictions remained in place. SpaceX denied that it had made any change. The dispute has highlighted Ukraine’s dependence on satellite links for frontline and air-defense operations. Democrats won control of both chambers in the November 3 midterm elections and are seeking further oversight, with the new Congress due to convene in January 2027.
