Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukrainian military units had recorded significant disruptions to the Starshield satellite communications service for several days, affecting the entire front line and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. In a Telegram post, he said systemic restrictions were limiting the speed at which Starshield could be used to 161 kph (100 mph). Starshield is the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications service.

As a result of the restrictions, Ukrainian interceptors could not reach the speeds needed to down Russian jet-powered drones, and some hits have already occurred. "This helps Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes on Ukraine," Zelensky said. He added that Ukraine was trying to clarify the reasons for the restriction with the US side, and a Ukrainian official said the disruptions were not mentioned during the talks and it was unclear who had made the decision.S1S2

The restrictions echo an episode in mid-October, when Ukrainian officials said SpaceX had abruptly capped the speed of Starlink and Starshield, cutting off drones and other equipment moving faster than about 160 kph (100 mph) amid tensions with the Trump administration over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. Service was restored on October 24.S1S2

The new disruptions came a day after the end of two days of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, brokered by the United States and the first such meeting since February. Ukraine has carried out a series of strikes on Russian refineries and energy installations in recent weeks, while Moscow has continued to pummel Ukrainian electricity infrastructure and cities with drones and missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to meet US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to discuss ending the war.S1S2