Ukraine Warupdated 21m ago3 min read
Zelenskiy Says Starshield Speed Limits Hamper Drone Intercepts Across Ukraine Front Line
“Starlink owner Elon Musk put the responsibility for the restrictions on Trump, who has been trying to pressure Kyiv”
“Elon Musk said decisions over Starshield speed restrictions were made by the US military”
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Renewed Starshield speed restrictions disrupt Ukrainian drone intercepts across the entire front line. Ukrainian officials report systemic disruptions lasting several days across front and occupied areas.
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Starshield speed limits return
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian units have been experiencing “significant disruptions” in the operation of Starshield over Ukrainian territory for several days, with the restrictions affecting the entire front line and Russian-occupied territories. Zelenskiy said the Ukrainian military has investigated the disruptions and concluded they were “not random errors but systematic speed restrictions,” and he specified that Starshield was being limited to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour). Zelenskiy warned that the limits were complicating intercepting Russian jet-powered drones and that “there have already been strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time.”
Zelenskiy said Ukraine was trying to “establish all the circumstances with the American side,” as the renewed issues came while U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The renewed disruptions were described as following earlier limits that Ukraine said were lifted after high-level contacts with Washington, with Ukraine’s Defence Ministry confirming on 24 October that connectivity had been restored at speeds exceeding 400 kilometres per hour.
Disputes over responsibility
Elon Musk rejected responsibility for the throttling in the earlier October episode and said on X that “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” while Ukrainian officials continued to report disruptions. Ukrainian officials said the renewed speed restrictions were systematic rather than technical errors, and Zelenskiy said “these are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions” after briefings from Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi. The Ukrainian president said the restrictions were helping Russia carry out more accurate attacks, and he added, “Unfortunately, this helps the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more precise attacks,” as he sought clarification with the American side.
NBC News reported that Starshield did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while the U.S. government said any decision could only have been taken by Musk. NBC News also reported that Trump denied being involved in the decision concerning the slowdown, and it said the renewed issues were reported as Witkoff and Kushner met Putin after trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi ended without a breakthrough.
Air defense and talks at risk
Zelenskiy said the Starshield limitations primarily meant “a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones,” and he warned that some strikes had already gotten through because interception systems could not reach sufficient speeds in time. The Guardian said Zelenskiy warned that the restrictions were helping Russians kill more Ukrainians, and it quoted him saying “This is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine.” Ukraine’s renewed disruptions were described as coming amid difficult U.S.-mediated peace negotiations, with Ukraine under pressure to make territorial concessions to Russia after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi ended without a breakthrough.
“This is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine.”
The Guardian’s Europe live coverage said Germany’s Friedrich Merz urged support for Ukraine as “a collective European responsibility” and called for closing the “funding gap for 2027,” while it also said the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was preparing the “22nd sanctions package.” Ukrainian officials said the renewed issues raised questions about the reliability of access to a system central to air defence, as Starshield was set to expire in mid-2027 and Ukraine sought to extend its agreement with Washington.