The key facts

  • Zelensky: communication drops at carrier speeds of 130–161 km/h; medium-range drones and interceptors are affected.
  • Rubio denies deliberate restrictions by the White House; a Telegraph source names the Pentagon as initiator after Trump's approval, Reuters — the White House.
  • Restrictions in Starshield appeared on the night of October 14; on October 15 Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported restoration of operation in field conditions.

Zelensky's statement on communication problems

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 19 in Telegram, citing a report from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, that there are problems with Starlink satellite communication. According to him, the connection drops when the carrier of the equipment moves at speeds of 130–161 km/h. This is not about data transfer speed, but about the speed of movement of the device carrying the satellite terminal. According to Zelensky, the failures affect various drones, in particular medium-range drones and interceptor drones against jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles. Citing DW, it is noted that earlier, on October 17, Zelensky had already raised this issue, saying that communication restrictions hinder repelling Russian drone attacks, and that Kyiv is discussing the matter with US representatives, who explained the restrictions by technical reasons.

US position

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 17 rejected claims that Washington deliberately restricted Starlink's operation. 'No one in the White House ordered slowing down the internet or reducing data transfer speed,' he said. According to him, the cause of the technical problems is not yet clear, but the ability to use the system has been restored.

Timeline and conflicting data on who initiated the restrictions

According to Ukraine's Defense Ministry, restrictions in Starshield — the military version of the system — appeared on the night of October 14 and complicated the work of drones and logistics. The ministry reported on October 15 that the system's operation in field conditions had been restored, but Zelensky's new statement indicates that problems at high speeds persist. Reports on who introduced the restrictions contradict each other: The Telegraph, citing sources, wrote that the Pentagon introduced the limits after the initiative was proposed by Elon Musk and supported by Donald Trump. Reuters, citing its own sources, reported that the order came from the White House. Musk emphasized that such decisions on Starshield are made by the US military and, ultimately, by the country's president. Trump said on October 16 that he himself had not given such an order and does not think Musk did it.

Talks with Lockheed Martin

Also on October 19, Zelensky said he held a meeting in Kyiv with representatives of Lockheed Martin on increasing supplies of interception assets for air defense. According to him, the company is expanding production of ballistic target interception assets, and Ukraine intends to purchase some of them.