15.11.2026 23:43
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that due to the speed restriction in Starshield, the military version of Starlink, interceptor drones lose connection with their operators when they reach 161 kilometers per hour. Zelenskyy, asking the US government and Elon Musk's company to lift the restrictions before winter, said, 'It is important to be on the right side of history.'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the military satellite internet service provided to his country through the US government is still working slowly and that this makes it difficult to stop Russian attacks. According to a BBC report, Zelenskyy called on the US and Elon Musk's company to lift the restrictions.
Zelenskyy said, "We are waiting for these restrictions to be lifted. Protecting people's lives and Ukraine's energy infrastructure before winter depends directly on this." Noting that he had asked officials to "work as closely as possible" with the US government and Musk's company, Zelenskyy used the phrase, "It is important to be on the right side of history."
THE PROBLEM IS STARSHIELD'S SPEED
The problem concerns the speed of the Starshield system, the military version of Starlink. Ukraine uses the regular Starlink service for communications at the front and Starshield to intercept missiles and UAVs in its airspace.
Zelenskyy said that the speed restriction imposed on Starshield terminals on the front line and in occupied areas continues. The Ukrainian leader wrote, "When our interceptor UAVs reach a speed of 161 kilometers per hour, they lose connection with their operators and cannot catch up with Russia's jet-powered Shaheds."
CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS FROM MUSK AND TRUMP
The speed restriction was first noticed in October, and contradictory statements came from Musk and US President Donald Trump. Musk shifted responsibility to the US government by saying that the US government controls Starshield; Trump, however, denied being responsible and stated that he had told Musk to "restore" the service. Although the connection seemed to return to normal a week later, Ukraine announced that the restrictions continued.
RUSSIA STRUCK ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
Meanwhile, Russia struck energy infrastructure in the Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odesa, Zhytomyr and Kirovohrad regions overnight and on Sunday morning. Two people were killed in an attack on an infrastructure facility in Mena in the Chernihiv region. Ukraine, in turn, announced that it had struck a petrochemical facility and a refinery in the city of Nizhnekamsk in Russia's Tatarstan region.
Source: BBC