On October 18, 2026, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner and Sen. Kevin Cramer called for a congressional investigation into reported satellite-service disruptions in Ukraine. Separately, nine senators had asked the Pentagon inspector general to investigate the episode. The two requests put congressional scrutiny and a proposed inspector-general review on the agenda, while leaving their scopes distinct. CBS News reported the calls by Turner and Cramer.

What the senators asked the inspector general to examine

The separate request, led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, asked whether U.S. officials knew about or approved the disruptions in advance, whether U.S. personnel were put at risk, and whether SpaceX violated government contracts, according to WMUR. The senators sought an update by November 1; WMUR did not specify a year. The Hill identified Republican senators Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis among the signatories.

Ukrainian sources described effects on drones and support work

Ukrainian Ministry of Defense sources told BBC Mundo that connectivity restrictions affected service above 160 km/h (about 99 mph). The account said the restrictions complicated operations involving interceptor and intermediate-range attack drones, as well as frontline logistics, reconnaissance and signal relay. Those are reported effects of the Ukraine episode. BBC Mundo's report attributed the details to Ukrainian defense sources.

Officials gave different accounts of restoration and cause

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said service had been restored. Turner said Ukrainian assessments indicated it had returned in some areas but perhaps not others. The Hill separately reported that Ukraine's full access to Starshield-provided data had been restored on the Wednesday before its October 16 newsletter. CBS News described the disruption as involving Starlink; The Hill's restoration account referred specifically to Starshield data access.

Cramer said a technical glitch may have caused the disruption, while saying he did not know for sure. Rubio said the administration had no role, and President Donald Trump denied limiting Ukraine's access, according to CBS News.