President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukrainian military units had recorded significant disruptions to the Starshield satellite communications service for several days, affecting the entire front line and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said systemic restrictions were limiting the speed at which Starshield could be used to 161 kph (100 mph). Starshield is the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications service. As a result, Ukrainian interceptors could not reach sufficient speed to down Russian jet-powered drones, with some strikes already getting through, he said.
Zelenskyy said he had heard briefings on the issue from Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, and that Ukraine's defence forces had investigated and found the restrictions were systematic, not random errors.
In mid-October, Ukrainian officials said SpaceX had abruptly capped the speed of Starlink and Starshield, cutting off drones and other equipment moving faster than about 160 kph (100 mph) amid tensions with the Trump administration over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. Service was restored on October 24.
The renewed limits come as Zelenskyy attends the European Political Community summit in Dublin, where he is due to meet U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner after their talks in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.
