Ukraine seeks explanation on Starshield speed restrictions from US

Ukraine seeks an explanation from the U.S. following reports of speed restrictions on the Starshield satellite communications system, the militarized version of Starlink, a source in the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told journalists on Nov. 13, as SpaceX denies these reports.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 13 that Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi were in contact with the U.S. side.

Ukraine's military is once again experiencing significant disruptions to the system for several days, Zelensky said on Nov. 12. Restrictions limit Starshield's operating speed to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), Zelensky wrote on X following briefings by Khmara and Drapatyi on Nov. 12.

"Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine,," Zelensky said.

SpaceX, which produces the system, denied such restrictions to Ukrainian media, Axios.

"This is false. There has been no change," SpaceX told Axios.

Zelensky said on Nov. 13 that the restrictions applied over Russian-occupied territory and along the front line, making it "impossible" to use interceptors against Shahed-type drones.

The defense ministry source also said that speed restrictions applied only over Russian-occupied territory, not across Ukraine.

"As of today, specialists from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have recorded a restriction of 161 km/h over the entire territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russians. At the same time, restrictions on the territory controlled by Ukraine have not been recorded," the source told journalists.

Zelensky said that some Russian strikes had already succeeded because Ukrainian interceptor systems could not reach the necessary speed to catch the targets in time.

The bipartisan Ukraine Caucus in the US House of Representatives, comprising 105 lawmakers, called on the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump and on SpaceX founder Elon Musk to fully restore the Ukrainian military's Starshield access on Nov. 12.

"Congress has been clear that Ukraine's ability to defend itself and the rest of Europe is a vital national interest of the United States," a statement by the group on social media said.

A Ukrainian commander at corps level fighting in Donetsk Oblast told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity that the 160-kilometer-per-hour limit was still in place, making middle-strike drones easier for Russia to intercept or evade. A senior member of a Ukrainian military unit in the Unmanned Systems Forces also confirmed the development.

Zelensky stressed that the disruptions are not "random errors" but systematic restrictions. Ukraine is currently trying to establish the circumstances behind the restrictions with the United States, the president added.

Ukraine widely uses both commercial Starlink terminals and their militarized version, Starshield. This year's mid-range strike campaign has allowed Ukraine to strangle Russian logistics, hampering Russia's ability to fight on the front lines.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk previously alleged that Kyiv used commercial Starlink terminals for "offensive drone strikes to kill people," adding that the "loophole" was closed. However, he rejected responsibility for Starshield restrictions, saying the militarized terminals are controlled by the U.S. government.

"Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. This is not a threat, it is simply a statement of fact," Musk said on Oct. 24.