Starshield speed limits return in Ukraine, Zelenskyy says

Starshield speed limits have returned over Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, and they disconnect terminals that move faster than 161 km/h.

Ukraine is investigating what its president called fresh restrictions on the satellite service, after similar limits applied for a spell last month.

What Zelenskyy said about the Starshield speed limits

Zelenskyy wrote on X early Thursday that Ukrainian units had logged significant disruptions for several days. They hit the entire front line and the occupied territories, he said.

Ukraine’s military had already studied the case, he said, and the limits are “not random errors” but systematic. Kyiv is now seeking answers from US officials.

The limit works at about 100 miles per hour. Any terminal that moves faster loses its link, which made it harder to stop Russian jet-powered drones.

“There have already been strikes that got through,” Zelenskyy said, because interception systems cannot reach enough speed in time.

What Starshield is

Starshield is a satellite network that SpaceX built on Starlink technology for government and national security use. The company and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A repeat of October’s Starshield speed limits dispute

Ukrainian officials had accused SpaceX on October 14 of hurting the country’s defence by slowing connections. On October 24, Zelenskyy confirmed that speeds were back to normal.

A US newspaper reported at the time that Elon Musk ordered the limits, which left some strike and interceptor drones nearly useless. It later reported that President Donald Trump asked Musk to reverse them. Trump denied that his White House ordered limits on Starlink in Ukraine.

Musk first seemed to point at the US government, writing that it owns and controls Starshield systems. Later he said Ukraine had violated the service terms, and Ukrainian officials dispute that firmly.

In mid-October, Zelenskyy said Starlink works in Ukraine up to 161 km/h and then shuts off, while it runs at 180 or more in the EU. “We lose both drones and connectivity,” he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said then that Starshield is a military product that Ukraine does not have. He said nobody ordered a slowdown and that it “wasn’t deliberate”.

Kyiv’s technical adviser speaks

Serhii Beskrestnov advises Zelenskyy on defence technology. He said ordinary Starlink cannot guide medium or long-range drone strikes, since it does not operate over Russia and has capped drone speeds at 70 to 90 km/h for months.

On Thursday, he confirmed that limits on Starlink speed in motion had returned. “We did not rejoice for long,” he said. He argued that the sides can change and discuss terms instead of leaving the country without sky protection.

Peace talks in the background

The complaint landed just after the US-brokered Abu Dhabi talks ended on Wednesday. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner then arrived in Moscow to see President Vladimir Putin, and Kirill Dmitriev met them at Vnukovo Airport.

For now, the Starshield speed limits leave Ukraine’s air defenders short of a tool they rely on. Also, the Starshield speed limits raise new questions about who controls military connectivity in the war.