Starlink Speed Restrictions in Effect Again in Ukraine, Zelenskyy Says
Speed-related limitations affecting Starshield are in effect again in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Starshield is the military version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system.
In a statement on Thursday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian units had been recording significant disruptions to Starshield's operations across the territory of Ukraine for several days, along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territories as well.
According to Zelenskyy, the disruptions were not due to a malfunction, but once again to a systematic speed restriction.
About a month ago, Ukraine reported a drop in connectivity for objects travelling faster than 161 km/h, which prevented its defensive systems, especially its interceptors, from working properly. That restriction was lifted on 24 October.
Zelenskyy said that for Ukraine this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones. The latest restrictions have already allowed several Russian drones to get through Ukrainian air defence and kill more Ukrainians, he added.
Serhii Bezkrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy on defence technology, said connectivity issues had resurfaced, specifically regarding communication with helicopters pursuing Shahed drones and with jet interceptors tasked with shooting down jet-powered Shaheds.
US President Donald Trump said last Sunday that he could not tell who slowed down Starlink for Ukraine for much of October, and was not even sure it had been throttled. On 60 Minutes, Trump said it was not him, the system is a very good system, it was perhaps turned down, he did not know, and it had not been proven to him that it was turned down.
Trump added that there are a lot of lies going on with that war, but that when he heard about it, it went back up.
Kyiv is seeking urgent talks to renew its contract with Starshield, a Ukrainian official told reporters last week. The contract is ending in mid-2027.
The US Department of Defense and SpaceX, Starshield's parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
