Ukrainian military authorities reported, this Wednesday (14), that the company SpaceX restricted the operation of Starlink satellite communication terminals used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the front line. The announcement was made by the Ukrainian president’s advisor, Serhiy Beskrestnov.
“I confirm that last night, SpaceX imposed a speed limit on moving Starlink terminals,” he declared.
The restriction concerns the speed of drones using Starlink. According to Beskrestnov, the limitation comes into effect at speeds exceeding 160 kilometers per hour.
“Our defense forces did not receive any warning about this limitation, which led to the interruption of several missions. Clearly, this measure cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation,” the advisor suggested.
The former advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Serhiy Sternenko, in turn, noted that SpaceX probably “resorted to such measures at the request of Donald Trump’s government”. According to him, “regular satellite communication terminals are still functioning,” he added.
According to military sources cited by the newspaper Ukrainska Pravdathe restrictions affected the military version of the Starlink satellite communications system, called Starshield. This version is faster and necessary for drone operators. A commander sent the newspaper a video showing two Ukrainian drones “losing” contact during takeoff, which prevented them from continuing their mission.
Over the past two days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Western partners did not warn Ukraine about missile attacks on Kiev. The White House and the company SpaceX have not yet commented on the Ukrainian reports.
Repercussions in Russia
Commenting on reports of disruption to Starlink operations, State Duma Defense Committee member Alexey Zhuravlev, quoted by the Russian newspaper Gazeta.rustated that “Trump is punishing Zelensky for his disobedience and attacks on Russian oil refineries.”
“Of course, this will affect the control of drones and high-speed vehicles and complicate Ukrainian operations. But we must not forget that there are also French, British and other groups that will obviously be able to provide Ukraine with all the necessary data. So do not think that everything will be perfect now. There are many other ways for Ukraine to hit targets in Russia,” Zhuravlev said.
He noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will begin to attribute their failures on the battlefield to this. “The Ukrainian army now has someone to blame for its failures on the front line — Trump would be to blame for disabling Starlink,” said the congressman.
At the same time, Zhuravlev stated that the system offered some advantages for drones and high-speed vehicles, but highlighted that the Russian Armed Forces have been without access to it since February 2026, and this has not affected its advancement in any way. “There are other means of communication and coordination”, he added.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
