KYIV — Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that SpaceX imposed an unannounced speed limit on military Starlink terminals traveling at high speeds, disrupting several combat missions overnight.
Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said SpaceX introduced a speed limit for Starlink terminals in motion and that the restriction applied to the military Starshield package at 100 mph. He said Ukraine defense forces received no prior warning and that the limit led to the failure of a number of missions.
Terminals using the military version of the satellite service suddenly lost connectivity above that speed Tuesday evening, Beskrestnov said. He called the timing linked to the current political situation. SpaceX did not confirm any change to Starlink functionality.
Ukrainian troops rely on the terminals for drone control and long-distance strike navigation as well as some ground communications. The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, deployed in the southeast, had been forced to cancel some missions. A corps representative said connection drops lasting seconds at speed made drones harder to control.
The restriction came as President Donald Trump has pressed Ukraine to halt long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities. Static Starlink terminals for battlefield communications were not reported cut. Ordinary civilian terminals were described as still working.
Beskrestnov later said Starlink is also used in interceptor drones meant to counter jet-powered Shahed-type weapons, arguing the speed caps remove one of the few defenses against those threats.
