Zelensky says new Starshield limits are hampering Ukraine's drone defense

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet, is again being deliberately restricted for Ukraine's army, making it harder to stop Russian drone attacks. The claim is Zelensky's own: Farak Dhar reported that neither the US government nor SpaceX has publicly acknowledged imposing any limit.

In a post on X on Thursday, Zelensky wrote that Ukrainian units had been experiencing significant disruption to Starshield over Ukrainian territory for several days, according to Nagarik News and Ratopati English. Farak Dhar reported that he said the speed of equipment using Starshield has been limited to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour); Nagarik News and Ratopati English quote him as saying the system does not work above 100 miles per hour. Russian jet-powered drones fly much faster than that, Zelensky said, which makes them very hard to stop.

Zelensky said the problems are not random errors, and that they are helping Russia strike more accurately and kill more Ukrainians. According to Farak Dhar, he added that Ukraine's military had concluded the cause was a systematic restriction rather than a technical fault. Nagarik News quotes him as saying Kyiv is trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side.

What came before

This is not the first time. Farak Dhar reported that from the night of October 13–14, Starshield terminals used by Ukraine's army began losing satellite contact on equipment moving at around 160 kilometers per hour, affecting drone operations, military supply transport and battlefield communications. On October 24, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said service had returned to normal after high-level contact with the US side.

Who was responsible was never settled. Farak Dhar reported that US President Donald Trump said he had not directed any restriction and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was not responsible, while Elon Musk, SpaceX's chief executive, wrote on X that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government and said the decision on speed limits rested with the US military and ultimately the president. Nagarik News and Ratopati English reported that Trump and Musk at first denied responsibility, that Musk later accused Ukraine of misusing Starlink for military purposes, and that all sides then said full access had been restored.

Diplomatic context

The latest claim surfaced while US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, the day after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, according to Annapurna Post and Nagarik News. Farak Dhar reported that the Abu Dhabi talks ended without agreement on the main disputed issue, with Moscow's demand that Ukraine hand over territory it still controls a major obstacle.

Annapurna Post reported that Putin proposed a five-day ceasefire in the contested city of Kostyantynivka in Donetsk region. Ukraine is skeptical: Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser in the Ukrainian president's office, said Russia had earlier moved military equipment and troops under the cover of a humanitarian operation in Oleshky, and that more clarity was needed on the Kostyantynivka proposal, the paper reported.

Reliance on Starshield

Starshield has become a key military communications system for Ukraine, used for contact between troops and for operating drones, Farak Dhar wrote. Ukraine's agreement with the US on its use is due to expire in mid-2027, and the outlet said Ukrainian officials have pointed to the need to start talks on a new one in good time.

Ukraine is also looking for an alternative. On October 22, Farak Dhar reported, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense signed a letter of intent with the Finnish companies ICEYE and Nokia to explore a satellite communications system under Ukraine's own control. For now, it said, the army still depends on the US-controlled Starshield network.