Two senior Ukrainian officials unsure who ordered the renewed speed limit
The Wall Street Journal reported that SpaceX founder Elon Musk ordered the restrictions on Starlink last month and that the decision sparked panic in Kyiv and a political backlash from some U.S. lawmakers, prompting Trump to call Musk and ask him to lift the restrictions.
Two senior Ukrainian government officials said it was unclear who had ordered the renewed speed limit. Kyiv was seeking clarification from the U.S., Zelensky said.
Ukrainian military officials say a protracted disruption to Starshield service could lead to a Russian advance again, because Moscow will find it easier to move men and ammunition to front-line areas in the absence of relentless Ukrainian strikes.
Ukraine said restrictions on its military-grade Starlink satellite internet service are once again hindering its drone operations, renewing disruptions to defenses against Russian attacks that hit the country last month. Ukrainian drones that rely on Starshield, a military version of SpaceX’s Starlink service, are losing connectivity if they fly faster than 100 miles an hour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram after meeting Ukrainian military commanders.
“Our units have for several days now been experiencing significant disruptions in the operation of Starshield,” Zelensky said. He described the problem as “a systemic speed restriction” occurring along the entire front line.
The speed limit effectively disables some of Ukraine’s air defenses against jet-powered Russian drones that are pounding Ukrainian cities, and risks paralyzing Ukraine’s crucial midrange drone campaign against the invading Russian army’s logistics. The disruptions were occurring along the entire front line and in Russian-occupied territory, Zelensky said, where Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian supply lines have helped to limit Moscow’s forces to only minimal gains this year.
Ukrainian drone forces encountered the same 100 mph speed limit for 10 days in October, during a period of high tension between Kyiv and President Trump, who demanded Zelensky’s removal and an end to Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries.
Last month’s speed limits were imposed amid the dispute between Trump and Zelensky over strikes against Russian refineries, which Trump blamed for high diesel prices in the U.S. Energy experts say the U.S.-Iran conflict has been the dominant driver of high fuel prices worldwide this year. Ukraine resumed its strikes against Russian refineries after a two-week pause in late October while tensions with the White House were at their peak.
“Yesterday, we completely lost communication with the drone during a mission,” a Ukrainian midrange drone operator known by his call sign Brut told the Journal. The drone was able to complete the mission using preprogrammed coordinates, he said.
Ukrainian pilots have alternative methods for controlling their drones, but they say none of them are as effective as a pilot’s video feed via Starshield.