Ukraine reports Starshield throttling amid drone war with Russia

Ukraine's military said it experienced a sudden slowdown of the Starshield satellite network last week, forcing drones equipped with the service to lose connectivity at speeds as low as 90 km/h (56 mph). The restriction caused some unmanned aircraft to fall from the sky and hampered the country's ability to intercept Russian Shahed attack drones.

Starshield, the defense-grade counterpart to SpaceX's commercial Starlink system, runs on the same low-Earth orbit constellation but offers higher speed limits and enhanced security. The U.S. government licenses the network to Ukraine and other partners, while the civilian Starlink service continues to provide broadband to Ukrainian civilians and military units.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the speed limits prevented effective use of Starshield for drone defense. He told Fox News the service remained "still limited" and noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had pledged to work on unblocking it. The president also claimed that the U.S. administration had not ordered the slowdown.

Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, denied personally imposing the limits, stating that any restrictions are decided by the U.S. military and the president. He wrote on X that Starlink is a commercial service limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action. However, CBS News reported that Musk had spoken with administration officials multiple times before the throttling occurred.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon had not issued directives to curtail the service, and Senator Marco Rubio emphasized that decisions about Starshield, which is purchased under a U.S. contract, differ from those about the private commercial network.

The throttling episode coincided with reported failures of a U.S. intelligence early-warning system that alerts Ukraine to Russian missile launches. Zelenskyy said Ukraine received no advance warning for attacks on October 13 and again on October 18, though officials later indicated the system had been restored.

Analysts estimate the disruption cost Ukraine tens of millions of dollars in lost drone capability. The incident highlights Ukraine's growing reliance on satellite communications for both battlefield coordination and civilian connectivity, as no comparable alternative to Starlink currently exists.