Ukraine is still recording restrictions on Starshield operations along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territories.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported this in his evening video address, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to him, the Defence Minister and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Starshield’s operation.
“Speed restrictions—unfortunately, these restrictions remain. Along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. I expect the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with all relevant bodies in America, to discuss this issue. The temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine is ours, our sovereign territory, and speed restrictions there are a very, very bad signal,” the head of state said.
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Zelenskyy stressed that this situation “limits our ability to intercept jet-powered ‘Shaheds’ and counter other drones, and it also sends Russia a signal that America may supposedly view our temporarily occupied land differently”.
“We are counting on speed being restored,” Zelenskyy emphasised.
Problems With Starshield: What We Know
- Previously, Ukrainian troops had already encountered a speed restriction on Starlink satellite communications from 400 to 160 km/h. This made it harder to intercept Russian jet-powered drones and to conduct operations at the front. At the time, the restriction was discovered without warning, and checks showed it applied only on Ukrainian territory, while in EU countries the connection worked without such obstacles.
- SpaceX owner Elon Musk said that Ukrainian troops were using the civilian network to kill Russians, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied it was being used for attacks on Russian territory.
- The White House did not say who was responsible for the previous restrictions, and US President Donald Trump said he had not given such an instruction. The US Senate plans to investigate the incident.
- On 11 November, President Zelenskyy said that for several days Ukrainian troops had again been recording significant disruptions to the Starshield system over Ukrainian territory. They are in effect along the entire front line and in the occupied territory.