Ukraine said on Wednesday that new speed limits imposed on SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service had disrupted its military drone operations, and SpaceX chief Elon Musk responded that the military-grade Starshield system is “owned and controlled by the US government” — with any restrictions decided by the US military and ultimately President Donald Trump.
FAKTA
- Ukraine reported on Tuesday night that military-grade Starlink terminals lost connectivity when moving faster than about 100 mph (160 km/h).
- Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on defence technology, said Ukrainian forces received no warning and that several missions were disrupted.
- Musk wrote on X: “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
- Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said by Wednesday evening that connectivity at speeds up to 160 km/h was being restored, and asked for the Starshield limit to be removed entirely.
- Ukraine’s defence ministry said Wednesday evening that the connection had improved but that a 161 km/h cap remained in force.
- The White House had not commented on the restrictions.
Speed limits imposed without warning
Beskrestnov confirmed on Telegram on Wednesday morning that SpaceX had introduced a speed limit overnight for Starlink terminals in motion, applying to Starshield, the military version of the service. “Our defense forces were not given notice of this limit, and this has resulted in the disruption of a number of missions,” he wrote.
Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Reaction Corps told Reuters that its connection could drop for 10 to 20 seconds at a time at speeds as low as 110 to 120 km/h. The drones kept flying but became harder to control, and some planned missions were cancelled. According to a source quoted by CNN, Ukraine’s armed forces learned of the limit from SpaceX customer support after filing a complaint.
Musk points to Washington
Musk drew a sharp line between Starshield and Starlink. Starshield, he said, is the government-oriented offering developed from the same technology, while Starlink is a commercial SpaceX service limited to civilian or defensive activities that “cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”
The clarification followed complaints from Ukrainian officials that the sudden restrictions had interrupted drone missions and complicated battlefield operations, raising questions about the reliability of the communications infrastructure Kyiv has depended on since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Zelenskyy asks for full restoration
President Zelenskyy said in an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored that he hoped the restriction was a mistake or a technical problem, and that Ukraine was asking for the service to be fully switched on. Fedorov, who as digital minister first asked Musk for Starlink in 2022, posted on X that “strike drones and interceptor drones should fly again,” thanking Musk and asking for his continued support.
Ukraine’s defence ministry told reporters on Wednesday that SpaceX was still enforcing a 161 km/h cap through much of the day, though the quality of the connection had improved by the evening for speeds up to 160 km/h.
A strained backdrop
The restrictions came as President Trump has pressed Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries as part of his push for an energy ceasefire with Russia, and as relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated. The disruption coincided with a Russian attack late on Tuesday that struck energy infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv. For more on the conflict, see Watan News’ Europe coverage.
Starlink has been one of Ukraine’s most important communications lifelines since the start of the war, keeping hospitals, government offices, frontline units and ordinary families online through attacks on cell towers and power grids. Fedorov said removing the Starshield speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defence.
