The key facts

  • Zelensky urged the US to lift Starshield restrictions and instructed ministries to work with the US and SpaceX
  • The system was throttled in October; restrictions had already been partially lifted after criticism from Kyiv
  • Over the past week, according to Zelensky, Russia used more than 2,300 drones, 1,590 glide bombs and 15 missiles

Kyiv's demand regarding Starshield

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said the US must lift any restrictions on the Starshield satellite internet system. According to him, Kyiv 'expects' such a step due to serious damage to civilian infrastructure caused by Russian attacks. 'The protection of lives and Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter directly depends on this,' Zelensky wrote on his X account, accompanying the post with photographs from eight locations across the country.

What is known about the speed restrictions

In October, the Starshield system was throttled to lower speeds; the restrictions were lifted after criticism from Ukraine. Zelensky said he had instructed several ministries, including the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to work 'as closely as possible' with the US and SpaceX, which is owned by Elon Musk. According to him, the throttling of the system aided Russian attacks: Ukrainian interceptor drones lose contact with their operators at a speed of 161 km/h and, as a result, cannot hit Russian drones and missiles. At the same time, when asked who was responsible for restricting Starshield's speed, the US government and SpaceX gave partially contradictory answers.

Scale of the attacks and casualties

Over the past week, according to Zelensky, Russian attacks involved more than 2,300 drones, 1,590 glide bombs and 15 missiles, including cruise missiles. He called Moscow's strikes 'brutal' and 'difficult to counter.' In the port city of Chornomorsk, six people were injured and energy infrastructure was damaged as a result of a Russian strike, local authorities reported. According to them, a facility of DTEK Odesa Grids was hit, leaving about 41,000 consumers temporarily without electricity. In Zaporizhzhia, which was attacked several times in recent days, six people were also injured, including a two-year-old boy, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported.

Related statement from Estonia

Estonia stated that Russia is responsible for an attempted arson at a drone manufacturing plant and announced the closure of the border between the two countries, citing 'clear evidence' of Moscow's involvement in the attack.