New restrictions on the operation of the Starshield military satellite system have disrupted all planned missions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a Ukrainian official told Axios. According to the official, the problem has continued for a third day and has been gradually worsening.
“On the first day, the restrictions were 10%; on the second, 50%; and today, 100% of missions are failing because of the restrictions,” the unnamed official said. The claim has not been independently confirmed by the US government or the Ukrainian military command.
Restrictions along the entire front line
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that military units had recorded “significant disruptions” in Starshield’s operation along the entire front line, as well as in the parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia. He said a Ukrainian military investigation had established systematic speed restrictions rather than random technical errors.
Starshield is the military version of Starlink and is used to control reconnaissance drones, for communications and to intercept Russian unmanned aircraft. Ukrainian diplomat Denys Sienyk said the system stops working when drones are traveling at speeds above 161 kilometers per hour.
“At the moment, we have no explanation from SpaceX or the Pentagon,” Sienyk said, as quoted by Axios.
SpaceX denies any change
SpaceX rejected the claims in a brief response to Axios: “That is false. There has been no change.” The Pentagon and the White House did not immediately comment on reports of new restrictions.
The incident is the second such signal in recent weeks. In October, Ukrainian forces reported that the terminals lost connection when moving at speeds of more than approximately 160 kilometers per hour. According to Reuters, the restriction then affected attack drones, logistics and interceptor drones used against Russian “Shahed” unmanned aircraft. Access to the system was restored on October 24.
Reuters later reported that two US officials and a Western official had linked the initial restriction to a decision that came from the White House. At the same time, US officials denied that President Donald Trump had ordered the change, while Elon Musk said that Starshield was owned and controlled by the US government.
So far, there has been no public explanation of who ordered the new restrictions, whether they are temporary and when access to Starshield’s full functionality can be restored.
Sources: axios.com, marketscreener.com