As of 13 November, specialists from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been recording Starshield speed restrictions of 161 km/h over all parts of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia, sources in the Defence Ministry report.
The Ministry of Defence is in contact with SpaceX representatives to obtain an explanation and rectify the situation. It is also approaching the US Department of Defense for additional clarification.
We remind you that on 12 November Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that for several days Ukrainian troops have been registering significant disruptions in the operation of the Starshield system over Ukraine. They are occurring along the entire front line and in occupied territory.
“Ukrainian troops have already checked the circumstances, and these are not random errors but a systemic speed restriction. For us, this is primarily about a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones. Unfortunately, there have already been hits because intercept systems cannot reach sufficient speed and fail to catch them in time. Sadly, this helps the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes on Ukraine,” he said.
Starshield is a militarised satellite system operated by SpaceX.
“Starshield is a branch of SpaceX’s broader Starlink network. For Starshield’s needs, 182 satellites have been allocated, working specifically in the interests of this project, which is aimed at ensuring resilient government and military communications. According to publicly available information, the main operator of the Starshield system in the United States is a separate unit within the Space Force structure. However, satellite development and ongoing orbital support are carried out under contracts with SpaceX,” explains Vadym Kushnikov, a commentator for Militarnyi.