Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 25 July 2011Zelenskyy Says Starshield Speed Restrictions Enabled Deadly Russian Shahed Strikes
“Musk said the US government was responsible as Starshield was controlled by them, but Trump denied being responsible and said he had told the billionaire owner to ‘put it back’.”
“Mr. Musk and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment on Friday evening.”
Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Starshield speed restrictions hinder Ukrainian interceptor drones from downing Russian Shahed drones. Zelensky urges US and Musk to lift restrictions to protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure this winter.
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Starshield speed caps
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starshield speed restrictions helped enable a wave of deadly Russian attacks across Ukraine, and he linked the problem to Russian targeting of energy substations with Shahed drones. Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s interceptor drones “lose connection with their operators at a speed of 161km/h (100mph) and simply cannot catch up with Russian jet-powered 'shaheds'” as Russia struck energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia and the Sumy, Odesa, Zhytomyr, and Kirovohrad regions overnight and into Sunday. Ukraine’s DTEK said a hit on an energy facility in Odesa left 41,000 households without electricity, while Ukraine’s army said it shot down 106 of 132 Russian drones launched overnight.
Zelenskyy posted on X that Russia was targeting energy substations with Shahed drones, and he said the restrictions were still there along the front line and in temporarily occupied territories. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it launched attacks targeting Ukraine’s military airfields, munitions depots and other military facilities on Sunday.
Calls to lift limits
Zelenskyy urged the US and Elon Musk to lift Starlink restrictions, and he told the BBC that “We are counting on these restrictions being lifted. The protection of lives and Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter directly depends on this,”.
Zelenskyy said he had asked officials “to work as closely as possible” with the US government and Musk’s company, and he warned that limitations on Starshield could weaken defenses around Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
The BBC reported that the speed issue had been “rumbling on for weeks,” with Musk saying the US government controlled Starshield and Donald Trump denying responsibility and saying he had told Musk to “put it back”.
Ukraine said the restrictions were first identified in October and that service appeared to be returning to normal after a week, but Zelenskyy said the restrictions were still being implemented.
The Kyiv Independent reported that Zelenskyy said the new restrictions limited Starshield’s operating speed to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), limiting Ukraine’s ability to shoot down Russian strike drones.
Oversight and wider fallout
Senate Democrats ordered SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to preserve records related to the Starlink/Starshield restriction, and the Wall Street Journal reported that the order followed a letter reviewed by the outlet.
The Kyiv Independent said the restrictions limit Starshield’s operating speed to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), and it reported that Zelenskyy instructed the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, and his office to work closely with U.S. officials and SpaceX to resolve the issue.
The Wall Street Journal letter, as described by The Kyiv Independent, demanded Musk preserve documentation regarding service shut-downs from Oct. 13-24 and again on Nov. 12, and it also demanded records from Sept. 1 including communications related to Ukraine’s Starlink and Starshield.
SpaceX denied Zelenskyy’s reports of renewed speed caps, and the Kyiv Independent reported the company told Axios: “This is false. There has been no change”.
The BBC also reported that the issue coincided with a tense diplomatic stand-off between Zelensky and Trump over Ukrainian strikes on oil infrastructure within Russia, with Zelensky saying Ukraine was struggling to intercept Russian jet-powered drones targeting electricity substations.