Ukraine says Starshield speed restrictions are back, hampering Russian drone interceptions
Ukraine has again detected speed restrictions affecting Starshield, the military satellite communications service associated with SpaceX's Starlink system, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning that the limitations are preventing Ukrainian interceptors from reaching Russian high-speed drones.
In a statement on November 12, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian military units had reported significant disruptions across the entire front line and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory for several days.
According to reports from Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, Starshield terminals are subject to a systematic speed limit of 100 mph (161 km/h).
The restriction concerns the speed at which equipment using the satellite connection can travel, rather than internet data transfer speeds.
“Ukrainian military personnel have already examined the circumstances, and these are not random errors but a systematic speed restriction,” Zelenskyy said.
He warned that the limitations were significantly complicating efforts to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.
“Unfortunately, there have already been successful strikes because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and fail to intercept the targets in time,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that the restrictions were helping Russia carry out more successful attacks and kill more Ukrainians.
Ukraine is now seeking clarification from the American side, he said.
Second disruption in a month
The latest restrictions follow a similar incident in mid-October, when Ukrainian officials reported that Starlink and Starshield connections had been limited to speeds of approximately 100 mph.
The October restrictions came amid tensions over Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries and rising fuel prices.
At the time, the White House denied involvement in restricting Ukraine's satellite communications and attributed the disruption to a technical malfunction, according to Axios.
Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX operates the satellite communications network, said Starshield was under US government ownership and control.
The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that Musk had ordered the restrictions, allegedly following disagreements over Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
The newspaper also reported that President Donald Trump later contacted Musk and asked him to lift the limitations.
On October 24, Zelenskyy and Khmara announced that Starlink and Starshield operations had been restored to speeds sufficient for Ukrainian military use, including platforms traveling faster than 400 km/h (249 mph).
The renewed restrictions come less than three weeks after that announcement.
Neither the cause of the latest limitations nor who may have authorized them has been established publicly. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was working with US officials to clarify the circumstances.