“These are not random errors, but a system speed limit,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday as Ukrainian forces encountered renewed disruptions to the Starshield satellite communications network.
Ukrainian military operations along the front lines faced disruption this week due to speed limits enforced on Starshield, the military-grade version of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Devices connected to the system were capped at 100 miles per hour over Russian-occupied territories. This hindered Ukrainian drone operations and air defenses against Russian jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles.
The speed restrictions took effect on Monday, November 9, 2026. They restricted terminal speeds to 161 kilometers per hour, according to Kyiv Post.
NEW: @SpaceX tells me "This is false. There has been no change" in response to @ZelenskyyUa's Starshield claims. The latest @axios from @BarakRavid and me here: https://t.co/caNGxtNvzy
Denys Sienik, Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington, said that the widespread restrictions prevented forces from intercepting Russian jet-powered drones immediately near the front line.
“Because of this, we can intercept Russian jet-powered UAVs only after they enter the territory controlled by Ukraine,” Sienik told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on November 14, 2026. “Hence, we can’t shoot them down immediately near the front line. This gives Russians more leverage which they haven’t had so far.”
Craig Albert is the graduate director of national defense studies at Augusta University. He told NBC News that reducing Starshield speeds slows down Ukrainian offensive drones, turning them into targets for faster Russian interceptors, while also impeding Ukrainian missile defense systems.
Ukraine’s military intelligence said that Russia’s own satellite network faces ongoing problems with orbital positioning, user terminals, and foreign component supplies.
Speaking at the ninth European Political Community Summit, Zelenskyy warned that enforcing speed limits exclusively over occupied areas carries serious political risks, according to Business Insider.
Neither Trump nor Musk have given a full explanation as to why Starshield was slowed. And despite numerous requests, Ukraine hasn't received any answers from DoD, State, WH or SpaceX. “We don’t know the cause [because] they keep silent about this,” a senior Ukrainian official…
“If you impose restrictions there, you are already partially recognizing the temporarily occupied territories as not ours,” Zelenskyy said, as reported by CBS News. “If someone in America is making decisions that essentially treat Ukrainian territories as if they don’t belong to Ukraine, then that tells us where things are heading.”
The slowdown coincided with peace talks in Moscow involving U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They met with Russian President Vladimir Putin following meetings in the United Arab Emirates, according to NBC News.
Zelenskyy also revealed to journalists that U.S. negotiators floated a proposal asking whether Ukraine would be willing to withdraw from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership, according to The Independent.
The Kremlin insists that Ukraine give up the entire eastern Donbas region.
Zelenskyy ruled out giving away further land to Russian terrorists. French President Emmanuel Macron warned that countries seeking to limit assistance to Ukraine are trying to impose an unjust peace that could lead to another war.
Following U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi featuring Ukrainian and Russian representatives, Kushner said that the United States wants European countries to be directly involved in the peace process.
SpaceX told The New York Times that Ukrainian claims regarding throttled connectivity were false, maintaining that no changes had been made to its satellite operations.
The Senators requested written confirmation by November 30, 2026, that all appropriate preservation measures have been implemented.
The lawmakers said that the October and November restrictions coincided with reports that American diplomatic, military, and security personnel in Kyiv struggled to reach designated shelters during Russian air raids.
“Starshield services must be restored urgently for Ukraine to keep its soldiers connected, to protect its citizens and to defend its territory,” said European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier at a news conference in Brussels.
Earlier coverage: Zelenskyy Warns New Starshield Speed Restrictions Are Disrupting Ukraine's Drone Defense
