Ukraine Hit By New ‘Systematic’ Starshield Restrictions, Says Zelensky

Detailed summary

Ukraine is experiencing fresh restrictions on its Starshield satellite internet service, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, several weeks after curbs to Elon…

Ukraine is experiencing fresh restrictions on its Starshield satellite internet service, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, several weeks after curbs to Elon Musk's Starlink constellation wreaked havoc on Ukrainian operations against Russia.

Ukrainian soldiers have reported "significant disruptions" to Starshield along the more than 700 miles of frontline in Ukraine in recent days, as well as issues using the service in Russian-held areas of Ukraine, Zelensky said.

"These are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions," Zelensky said in a statement.

Starshield is Starlink's military-grade sister service. Ukrainian forces mostly use Starlink, run by Musk's SpaceX firm, for communications and data transfers, rather than guiding strikes on the battlefield.

Kyiv says speed limits on its use of Starshield—which Musk describes as controlled by the U.S. government—make it harder to intercept Russian jet-powered drones, and stop Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying fast enough to effectively hit Russian targets before Moscow shoots them down.

"We are trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side," Zelensky said.

Musk, the richest person in the world, last month accused Ukraine of violating Starlink's terms of service by using the civilian system for lethal attacks, saying this "loophole" was closed earlier this month as Ukrainian drone pilots suddenly found their UAVs could only fly at significantly reduced speeds.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense adviser to Zelensky, called Musk's remarks "very strange" and said Ukraine cannot use Starlink for strikes beyond the immediate front line.

Starlink does not work over Russian soil, and is capped as low as 70 kilometers per hour over Ukraine, including Moscow-held areas of Ukraine, Beskrestnov said.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Newsweek. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.