KYIV (The Thursday Times) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Starshield, the military version of the Starlink satellite internet service, had been hit by “systematic speed restrictions” along the front line, making it harder for Ukrainian drones to stop Russian attacks.
In a post on Telegram, he said the restrictions limited the speed at which Starshield could be used to 161km/h, or 100mph. As a result, Ukrainian interceptor drones could not reach the speed needed to bring down Russian targets, and some Russian strikes had already got through, he said.
“These are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions,” Zelenskyy said. The curbs, he said, help Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes on Ukraine.
Disruption along the front
Ukrainian soldiers had reported significant disruptions to the service along more than 1,100 kilometres of front line in recent days, as well as problems using it in areas under Russian control, Zelenskyy said.
Kyiv was trying to establish the circumstances with the American side, he said. There was no immediate public response from SpaceX, which runs Starlink and Starshield, or from Washington.
The complaint comes several weeks after earlier curbs on Starlink disrupted Ukrainian operations against Russia.
As envoys meet Putin
Zelenskyy spoke after Russian overnight strikes on Ukraine’s energy system caused power cuts in nine regions, and as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on ending the war.
