Ukraine says Starshield restrictions caused all affected drone missions to fail; SpaceX denies changes
Ukraine says new restrictions on SpaceX's Starshield satellite communications service have disrupted military drone operations for three consecutive days, with a Ukrainian official reporting that all affected missions were failing by November 12. SpaceX denies making any changes to the system.
The Ukrainian government has asked the Pentagon and SpaceX to explain the disruptions, Axios reported on November 12.
According to an unnamed Ukrainian official cited by the outlet, the restrictions intensified over three days.
"On the first day there were 10% limitations, on the second day 50%, and today 100% of the missions fail because of restrictions," the official said.
SpaceX rejected the allegations, telling Axios: "This is false. There has been no change."
Zelenskyy reports disruptions along front line
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on November 12 that military units had reported significant disruptions to Starshield operations along the entire front line and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian military have already investigated the circumstances, and these are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions," Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Washington, Denys Sienik, told Axios that Starshield shuts down when drones exceed speeds of 100 miles per hour (approximately 161 kilometers per hour).
He said Ukraine had not received an explanation from SpaceX or the Pentagon.
Starshield is the military-focused version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite network. Ukraine accesses the service through a U.S. government agreement and uses it to operate reconnaissance drones and intercept Russian attack drones.
Commercial Starlink services also support Ukrainian battlefield communications and logistics.
Second reported disruption in a month
The latest problems emerged shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 12.
The envoys subsequently met Zelenskyy near Dublin to discuss the next round of peace negotiations.
According to the Financial Times, senior Ukrainian officials suspect the restrictions may have been imposed deliberately to increase pressure on Kyiv during negotiations. No evidence establishing a connection between the disruptions and the diplomatic talks has been made public.
Ukraine previously reported Starlink and Starshield restrictions in mid-October. The White House denied ordering the earlier slowdown, attributing it to a technical malfunction.
On October 24, Zelenskyy and Ukraine's defense minister said the services had resumed operating at speeds sufficient for military use.
The bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus said it was "extremely alarmed" by the latest reports and demanded a full accounting from the Trump administration and SpaceX.
The cause of the reported disruptions remains unresolved.