Zelensky Says Starshield Speed Cap Returns, Hindering Interceptors

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Ukrainian units have, for several days, recorded “significant disruptions” to Starshield along the entire front line and in territories occupied by Russia.

The statement followed briefings from Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Mykhailo Drapatyi, Zelensky wrote on X. The military had already examined the incidents, he said, and concluded they were “not random errors but systematic speed restrictions.”

Starshield is SpaceX’s military and government variant of the commercial Starlink satellite network. Zelensky said systematic limits were being imposed on the service, “limiting it to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour).”

A Cap on Fast-Moving Terminals

The figure does not describe the speed of the satellites themselves. It refers to a restriction on user terminals, which lose connectivity when they are moving faster than 161 km/h, including when they are mounted on high-speed drones.

Zelensky said the renewed limit “primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones.” Some strikes had already got through, he wrote, because “our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time.”

“Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine,” he said. Kyiv, he added, was “trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side.”

Neither SpaceX, Elon Musk nor the Pentagon had issued a public response to Thursday’s statement at the time of publication.

Restrictions Lifted Last Month

The 161 km/h threshold matches a cap Ukrainian officials reported between mid-October and Oct. 24. On Oct. 19, Zelensky said equipment was losing its connection at speeds of 130 to 161 km/h, depending on the sector of the front. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry later said monitoring systems were recording stable connectivity at more than 400 km/h.

Responsibility for that earlier slowdown remains disputed. Musk wrote on Oct. 14 that limits on Starshield were decided “by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” Reuters later reported that the order came from inside the White House, an account Trump administration officials denied.

After service was restored, Musk accused Ukraine of violating the terms of the commercial Starlink service by using it for offensive drone strikes, while repeating that Starshield was controlled by the U.S. government. Ukrainian officials rejected that claim.

Kyiv Presses Washington for Answers

The renewed disruption comes less than three weeks after Kyiv said the earlier restrictions had been lifted. Last month, the Pentagon’s inspector general refused a bipartisan Senate request to investigate the October slowdown.

Zelensky did not say who imposed the latest cap, or exactly when it began.