The key facts

  • SpaceX throttled Starlink terminals at the front, according to Ukrainian officials
  • The military version Starshield was affected; regular terminals on drones have a 160 km/h speed limit
  • Beskrestnov linked the restrictions to the political situation; on October 12 Russia attacked Kyiv with five ballistic missiles

Starlink speed throttling

SpaceX has throttled the speed of Starlink satellite communication terminals used by Ukrainian military personnel at the front. This was reported by advisor to the President of Ukraine Serhiy Beskrestnov and former advisor to the Defense Minister Serhiy Sternenko.

The military version Starshield was affected

As Ukrainska Pravda writes, citing military sources, the changes affected the military version of Starlink called Starshield, which provides higher speeds and is essential for drone operators. One of the commanders sent the outlet a video showing two drones that had taken off losing connection and being unable to continue their mission. Regular Starlink systems installed on drones have a speed limit of 160 km/h; for some tasks this is not enough, which is why the Armed Forces of Ukraine use Starshield.

Reaction from the Ukrainian side

"Our defense forces received no warning about such restrictions, and this led to the failure of a number of missions. Obviously, this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected with the current political situation," Beskrestnov wrote.

Context: attack on Kyiv and US pressure

On October 12, Russia attacked Kyiv with five ballistic missiles. Air raid sirens sounded only after the first explosions. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Western partners did not provide advance intelligence about the impending attack. According to the Financial Times, last week the United States threatened to end intelligence sharing with Ukraine and block weapons deliveries if Kyiv did not agree to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries.