The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has officially appealed to SpaceX and the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) demanding an explanation for the implementation of a 161 km/h speed limit on the Starlink satellite system. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing sources within the defense ministry. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the existence of the limitation and instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense to engage more actively with the State Department, the Pentagon, and SpaceX to obtain clarifications and rectify the situation. According to him, no precise explanations have been received from the American side yet.
What the military is recording: 161 km/h over occupied territory
Specialists from the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are recording a speed limit of 161 km/h over the entire territory temporarily occupied by Russia. However, no such restrictions have been recorded in areas under Kyiv's control. Dmytro Senik, Chargé d'Affaires of Ukraine to the USA, clarified in a comment on November 12 that the restrictions began to take effect gradually a few days ago and now fully cover the territory under Ukrainian control and along the front line, including the first line of defense and the key interception zone for Russian drones.
Impact on air defense
The head of state emphasized that the speed limit makes it impossible, in particular, to use interceptors against jet-powered "Shahed" drones, as interceptor drones need to travel at speeds exceeding 161 km/h. Yuriy Ihnat, spokesperson for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, recalled on a telethon that Starlink has been used in Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale war and is essential for the operation of ground systems and satellite communications. According to him, the system is used by helicopters shooting down enemy "Shaheds," as well as by jet-powered interceptor drones, which are being introduced as an innovative means of countering aerial targets. Ihnat noted that the effectiveness of air defense will increase only if Starlink and its military version, Starshield, function stably.
SpaceX's position and conflicting versions
According to Axios, SpaceX denies introducing any new restrictions for Ukraine: when asked by journalists, the company responded that this is untrue and that no changes had been made. The Ukrainian side, conversely, points out that this is the second instance of service disruptions for Starshield in the last few weeks. It was previously reported that the restrictions became known to the military earlier this week amid tensions between Kyiv and the U.S. administration; at an EU summit on October 16, Zelenskyy noted that the restrictions had not been fully lifted, whereas in neighboring EU countries, terminals operate at speeds exceeding 180 km/h.
