Satellite limitations imposed by Musk's SpaceX pose danger for Ukraine, Zelenskyy says

Detailed summary

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that limitations on the Starshield satellite system, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, could weaken defences around Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter months, when Moscow has repeatedly targeted the power grid.

Restrictions on Ukraine's Starshield satellite communications system are hindering its ability to intercept Russian drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.

He warned that limitations on the system, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, could weaken defenses around Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter months, when Moscow has repeatedly targeted the power grid.

Ukraine's interceptor drones continue to lose contact with their operators when flying faster than 161 km/h along the front line and over Russian-occupied territory, leaving them unable to catch Russian Shahed drones, Zelenskyy said.

"We are counting on these restrictions to be lifted," he wrote on social media. "The protection of lives and Ukrainian energy infrastructure before winter depends on this. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the President's Office have been instructed to work closely with the American side and SpaceX.

"It is important to be on the right side of history. We need to help Ukraine."

Zelenskyy questioned Saturday whether the problem was technical, saying the restrictions appeared to have been imposed by SpaceX despite earlier assurances from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Starshield was more under U.S. government control.

Meanwhile, a Russian strike on Chornomorsk, a port city in Ukraine's Odesa region, injured six people and damaged energy infrastructure, regional head Oleh Kiper said Sunday on Telegram.

The blast and falling debris also damaged a gas pipeline and nearby residential buildings, while two parked cars caught fire.

The strike hit a facility operated by DTEK Odesa Electric Networks, temporarily leaving about 41,000 customers without power, Kiper said.

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