New 'systematic' restrictions to Starshield network 'kill more Ukrainians', Zelensky says
Zelenskyy said the limits are blocking interceptor drones and helping Russian strikes get through, with Ukrainian forces reporting disruptions across the front line.
- On Thursday, November 12, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Starshield speed restrictions have returned, limiting connectivity on equipment moving faster than 161 kilometers per hour.
- Connectivity disruptions have returned just three weeks after Kyiv announced stable connections exceeding 400 km/h had been restored, with the Ukrainian military concluding these are systematic restrictions rather than random errors.
- These restrictions critically hinder efforts to intercept Russian jet-powered drones, which typically fly at 300–400 kilometers per hour; Zelenskyy warned that interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds, allowing some strikes to bypass defenses.
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that decisions regarding Starshield speed limits are made by the US military and ultimately the US president, writing that "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government."
- Amid difficult US-mediated peace negotiations, Ukraine is exploring sovereign satellite capabilities with Finnish companies ICEYE and Nokia, though the country remains heavily dependent on the US-controlled network for critical military communications.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reported significant disruptions to the Starshield satellite communications system across the frontline and in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. He said Ukrainian military units have been noticing the problems for several days. “This helps the Russians kill more Ukrainians and deliver more precise strikes on Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote in a post on the X social network. Information about his statement was…
Ukraine claims that reimposing speed restrictions on Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service, affects the interception of drones along the front line, a few weeks after similar restrictions had been lifted, writes Euronews.
"Unfortunately, our units have been experiencing significant disruptions to Starshield's functioning over Ukraine's territory for several days," Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media publication.
"Unfortunately, our units have been recording substantial interruptions in Starshield's operations over the territory of Ukraine, along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territories (by Russia) of Ukraine," he denounces.
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