Starlink slowdown coincided with Kharkiv drone strike killing five
CBS reported that photos showed Ukraine's Starlink connection throttled to 0. 1 Mbps during a Russian drone attack on Kharkiv that killed five people, hampering air-defence radar communications. The slowdown followed a ten-day reduction in the military-grade Starshield service, during which the Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian air defenses shot down 74 % of Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
Ukraine's defence adviser later said the speed limits made offensive drone use impossible, contradicting SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's earlier allegation that Ukrainian forces were violating Starlink terms. Musk had said SpaceX limited the service for alleged violations, and full service was restored after President Donald Trump intervened. Earlier, Musk had accused Ukraine of using the civilian Starlink network for offensive drone strikes, a charge rejected by former Ukrainian defence-ministry drone advisers who said only Starshield can be used for such missions.
