Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, is calling for a congressional investigation into disruptions affecting Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications system, warning Sunday that unreliable service could put lives at risk as Ukrainian forces defend against Russian attacks.

Turner, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the demand during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” rejecting Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s explanation that the outage “sort of happened.”

“Absolutely not,” Turner said when asked whether Rubio’s explanation was sufficient. “We need to find out who these people are because lives are at risk and lives are lost over these things.”

Turner said reports of continuing service problems in parts of Ukraine where troops are fighting Russian forces warranted immediate action. He described Starlink as essential to American support for Ukraine and called for the service to be restored.

“This is essential to the United States’ support of Ukraine in defending real aggressive attacks by Russia within Ukraine, and this needs to be restored,” Turner said.

The congressman also pushed back against SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s stated opposition to using Starlink for offensive military operations. Turner argued that Ukraine’s use of the system to protect its own territory should be distinguished from operations intended to attack an adversary.

“This is within Ukraine. This is defending Ukraine against aggression within Ukraine,” Turner said, reiterating that the disruptions should be investigated and service fully restored.

The dispute follows reports that Ukrainian forces experienced restricted access to Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s satellite communications system. A source familiar with the matter told The Hill that Starlink services had been cut off for objects traveling faster than 100 miles per hour, affecting Ukrainian drones, airplanes and helicopters.

Musk subsequently deferred to President Donald Trump on the restrictions. Trump denied that either he or Musk had caused an outage, saying he did not believe the service had been slowed and that he had checked its status that morning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, disputed claims that the systems had fully returned to normal. Speaking at a news conference in Brussels on Friday, Zelenskyy said service had not returned to its previous speed limits, although he indicated that restoration was underway.

“Have they returned to previous speed limits? No. But is it coming back? Yes,” Zelenskyy said.

Turner’s demand for an investigation puts congressional scrutiny on the reliability of a satellite network that has become an important communications tool for Ukrainian forces. Lawmakers will now face questions about why the restrictions occurred, who authorized them, and whether the disruptions could undermine Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russian attacks.