Starshield speed restrictions hamper Ukraine's ability to defend energy infrastructure against Russian jet-powered drones, Zelensky says
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Restrictions on the speed of Starshield, the militarized version of Starlink, are preventing Ukrainian interceptor drones from taking down Russian jet-powered Shahed drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 15.
Zelensky linked the restrictions to successful Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
"Russian forces are targeting substations with Shahed drones. And many of these strikes get through precisely because speed restrictions remain in place for Starshield terminals along the front line and in temporarily occupied territories," Zelensky said on Telegram.
The new restrictions limit Starshield's operating speed to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), limiting Ukraine's ability to shoot down Russian strike drones, which are usually intercepted over occupied territory before they reach government-controlled areas.
Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 2,300 attack drones, 1,590 glide bombs, and 15 missiles of various types against Ukraine over the past week.
Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odesa, Zhytomyr, and Kirovohrad oblasts overnight and on the morning of Nov. 15 alone. Railway infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts was also targeted.
Only over the past day, at least four civilians were killed, while 69 others were injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine.
Zelensky said he had instructed the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, and his office to work closely with U.S. officials and SpaceX to resolve the issue, stressing that lifting the restrictions was essential to protecting the lives of Ukrainians and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
Since the end of summer, Russia has renewed its mass attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities in the lead-up to winter.
Ukraine widely uses both commercial Starlink terminals and their militarized version, Starshield. This year's middle-range strike campaign using Starshield has allowed Ukraine to strangle Russian logistics, hampering Russia's ability to advance on the front lines.
On Nov. 13, Zelensky said that speed restrictions on Starshield over Russian-occupied territories are "very dangerous" as they carry political implications for Ukraine's sovereignty.
"If you impose restrictions there, you are already partially recognizing the temporarily occupied territories as not ours," Zelensky told journalists.
In the U.S., the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, a bipartisan support group for Ukraine, demanded a full explanation from the Trump administration and SpaceX and called for the immediate restoration of full Starshield access for Ukraine.
