President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that speed restrictions on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite network are back in effect across Ukraine, hampering military defenses as United States envoys meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
The militarized version of Elon Musk’s satellite network is facing systematic speed limitations capped at 161 kilometers per hour, or 100 miles per hour, according to statements published by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X following briefings from Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi. The Ukrainian military investigated the disruptions and concluded they were not random technical errors, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Frontline Interceptions Complicated
The speed caps affect operations along the entire front line and in Russian-occupied territories, disrupting military operations and air defense capabilities. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the limitations directly hinder Ukrainian forces attempting to intercept incoming Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
We have detected speed restrictions on Starshield on our Ukrainian territory – in the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine. The speed limit is back at 161 kilometers per hour – that’s 100 miles per hour. This directly affects our ability to intercept Russian jet-powered… pic.twitter.com/zJD48pUS2X
The newly imposed limits restrict terminal functions to 161 kilometers per hour. Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense tech advisor to Zelenskyy, confirmed that communication problems have arisen with helicopters pursuing Shahed drones as well as with jet interceptors tasked with shooting down the aerial threats. “Because of the speed restrictions we simply cannot catch up with them in time,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said, making it substantially harder to shoot down incoming weapons.
Defense and space affairs spokesperson for the European Commission Tom Regnier labeled reports of Starshield interruptions alarming and stated they would be intolerable if verified. The EU voiced severe anxiety regarding the newly reported Starshield limitations by Ukraine, urging SpaceX to reinstate functionality.
Received briefings from Minister of Defense of Ukraine Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi. Unfortunately, our units have been recording significant disruptions to Starshield’s operations over the territory of Ukraine for…
Decreasing the speed of Starshield terminals slows down how fast Ukrainian offensive drones can travel, making them easy targets for faster Russian interceptor drones, said Craig Albert, the graduate director of national defense studies at Augusta University.
It also restricts Ukrainian interceptor drones and missile defense systems, meaning Russian strikes can get through their defenses much quicker. This year’s mid-range strike campaign had previously allowed Ukraine to strangle Russian logistics and hamper Moscow’s ability to fight on the front lines, but the fresh limitations threaten those operations as winter approaches.
Neither Trump nor Musk have given a full explanation as to why Starshield was slowed. And despite numerous requests, Ukraine hasn't received any answers from DoD, State, WH or SpaceX. “We don’t know the cause [because] they keep silent about this,” a senior Ukrainian official…
“Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Diplomatic Talks in Moscow and Dublin
The renewed network restrictions coincide with high-stakes diplomacy as U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin following trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates.
Zelenskyy said his negotiating team briefed him that Russian negotiators said "they had no permission to discuss steps that could reduce the horrors of this war" despite another attempt by Kyiv's side to push for de-escalation in the Black Sea and a stop to attacks on energy…
Kushner and Witkoff arrived at Vnukovo Airport on Thursday morning, where they were met by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to Russian state news agency Tass. During the meetings in Moscow, Kushner told Putin that European countries wanted a role in future negotiations, telling the Russian president that including Europe would create a multilateral format to help resolve outstanding issues.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union is preparing a 22nd package of sanctions against Russia alongside a proposal to support Ukraine financially in 2027.
In Washington, the bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus issued a statement demanding a full accounting from the Trump administration and SpaceX regarding how and why the restriction occurred, alongside an immediate demand to restore full access.
“If someone in America is making decisions that essentially treat Ukrainian territories as if they don’t belong to Ukraine, then that tells us where things are heading,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On behalf of the 105 Members of the Bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus, we are demanding a full accounting from the Trump Administration and SpaceX on how and why this occurred and immediate action to restore full access to Starshield. pic.twitter.com/t3iFOoJFJh
“So far we know very little,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
European officials voiced immediate alarm over the satellite constraints.
“Starshield services must be restored urgently for Ukraine to keep its soldiers connected, to protect its citizens and to defend its territory,” said Regnier.
The current disruption follows a similar incident in mid-October when SpaceX abruptly capped terminal speeds before services were restored on October 24. Ukrainian forces remain heavily dependent on the network, even as the nation faces questions regarding access agreements set to expire in mid-2027.
More on Starshield
- Israeli Strike Kills Six in Gaza Hospital, Health Authority Says
- Brooklyn Building Collapses Into Construction Site, Killing Two
- Zelenskyy sees peace window as US envoys meet Putin in Moscow (shorty-news.com)
- Zelenskyy Warns New Starshield Speed Restrictions Are Disrupting Ukraine’s Drone Defense (archyde.com)
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