SpaceX has explained the restrictions on the operation of the Starshield military satellite system in Ukraine as being due to a technical problem. However, the company has provided no further explanation as to why the restrictions have continued for several days.
This was reported by PBS journalist Nick Schifrin on the social network X, citing Denys Sienyk, Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in the United States. According to Schifrin, SpaceX has acknowledged the technical malfunction but has not specified the reason for the restrictions remaining in effect for so long.
The restriction is 161 km/h
Starshield is the military package of the Starlink satellite communications system. On November 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that military units had recorded serious disruptions in its operation along the entire front line and in the occupied territories.
According to Zelenskyy, a systematic speed restriction of up to 161 km/h, or 100 miles per hour, had been in effect for several days. „These are not random errors, but a systematic speed restriction,“ the president said. He pointed out that the Ukrainian military had checked the situation and determined that the problem was not the result of isolated malfunctions.
Drone interception hampered
The restriction is complicating the work of Ukrainian units that intercept Russian unmanned jet aircraft. According to Denys Sienyk, some of the drones can be shot down only after they enter Ukrainian-controlled territory. This makes intercepting them near the front line impossible or more difficult.
Sienyk cited the Bars units as an example; they use Starshield to intercept Russian jet-powered „Shahed“ drones. According to him, the problem is not isolated, but the restrictions affect numerous units and are widespread.
Zelenskyy said that because of the lower speed, the weapons systems do not always manage to catch up with the aerial targets. The Ukrainian side continues to clarify the circumstances with the US side, but no deadline for resolving the technical problem has been announced so far.
Sources: obozrevatel.com, war.obozrevatel.com