Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that a Starshield movement restriction is hampering coordination of drone strikes against Russian forces, following earlier reports of canceled Ukrainian missions.
Frontline units in several sectors reported losing Starshield service while their equipment traveled at 130 to 160 km/h (80 to 100 mph), Zelensky said. Those figures describe the movement of terminals, not internet connection speed.
The 7th Air Assault Corps said a lost connection forced an unmanned-systems unit to cancel some missions on the Huliaipole front overnight Oct. 13-14, Kyiv time (EEST, UTC+3), as earlier coverage of the Starshield disruption detailed. The corps also said slower drones faced greater exposure to enemy fire.
SpaceX says Starshield serves government customers and uses technology from its Starlink network. Elon Musk said on X that the U.S. government owns and controls Starshield and that the U.S. military and president determine its operating limits.
Ukrainian defense technology adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said Ukraine was discussing removal of the limit with SpaceX and the Pentagon. He said an aircraft package without a speed limit would cost much more. No decision date had been announced when EconoTimes last covered the talks.
