Ukraine has asked the Pentagon and SpaceX for an explanation regarding new restrictions on the operation of the Starshield satellite system, which Kyiv says are hampering the interception of Russian unmanned aerial vehicles. According to data cited by Axios, a Ukrainian official claims that the restrictions were observed for three days and successively affected 10%, 50% and 100% of military missions.
“On the first day it was 10%, on the second – 50%, and today, because of these restrictions, 100% of the missions are failing,” the official told the publication. The Ukrainian military uses Starshield to manage intelligence operations and guide drones designed to intercept Russian unmanned aerial vehicles.
The System Cuts Out at Around 160 km/h
Denys Senyk, Chargé d’Affaires of Ukraine in the United States, said that Starshield shuts down when the drones reach a speed of around 160 km/h. “At this stage, we have received no explanations from either SpaceX or the Pentagon,” he said.
On November 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that systematic speed restrictions on Starshield, limiting it to 161 km/h, had been reintroduced. According to him, the Ukrainian military had recorded outages for several days along the entire front line and in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. Zelenskyy said this was complicating efforts to counter Russian jet-powered drones.
SpaceX Denies Any Change
In response to an inquiry from Axios, SpaceX rejected the claim that new restrictions had been introduced. “This is not true. There have been no changes,” the company said.
This is the second case in a short period in which Ukraine has reported problems with the operation of Starshield – the military version of the Starlink satellite network developed by SpaceX. Starshield is intended for government and military customers, while Starlink is used by Ukraine as a commercial service for communications and logistics at the front.
The bipartisan Ukraine Caucus in the U.S. Congress said it was “extremely concerned” by reports of Starshield slowdowns. The group asked President Donald Trump’s administration and SpaceX to provide a full account of the causes and consequences of the restrictions.
No public explanation has been given for the discrepancy between the Ukrainian side’s claims and SpaceX’s position. Kyiv has requested clarification from the U.S. administration and the company, but no deadline for a response has been announced.
Sources: unian.net, axios.com