Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starshield speed restrictions were hampering efforts to intercept Russian drones along Ukraine’s front, as Kyiv sought to address the issue with U.S. agencies.
In a Nov. 13 address, Zelenskyy said limits remained in place across frontline positions and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. He said they made it harder for Ukrainian forces to stop Russian jet-powered Shaheds and other drones. In an address the day before, he said a 100-mph (161-kilometer-per-hour) speed cap had returned in occupied areas.
At a separate Nov. 12 meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Zelenskyy said Russia benefited from the reported disruption because it made drone interception more difficult for Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent reported that a Ukrainian Defense Ministry source said specialists had recorded the 100-mph cap in temporarily occupied territory, but had not recorded restrictions in areas controlled by Ukraine. This account covers a smaller area than Zelenskyy’s Nov. 13 statement, which included the entire front as well as occupied territory.
SpaceX denied the reported restrictions in a response to Axios: “This is false. There has been no change.” Its denial conflicts with Zelenskyy’s account of continuing limits, while the Defense Ministry source cited by the Kyiv Independent described a cap in occupied territory only. The accounts differ over whether restrictions persist and how far they extend.
SpaceX’s website describes Starshield as a satellite service for government use that draws on Starlink technology. Zelenskyy said Oct. 24 that Ukrainian tests showed Starlink and Starshield had returned to their pre-restriction speeds. EconoTimes previously reported Ukraine’s account that satellite limits persisted after an earlier restoration claim.
Zelenskyy’s latest request was for Ukraine’s defense and foreign ministries to coordinate with relevant U.S. agencies on the reported restrictions. He did not give a date for a response or further update.
