Zelensky says Starshield limits persist; SpaceX denies

A speed cap on Starshield, SpaceX's military satellite service, was still in place along Ukraine's front line on Friday, November 13, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said the limit leaves Ukrainian forces unable to shoot down Russia's jet-powered Shahed drones. "The speed limit for our forces remains at 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), which makes it impossible, among other things, to use interceptors against jet-powered 'Shahed' drones," Zelensky wrote, adding, "There are still no clear explanations". SpaceX has denied making any change. "This is false. There has been no change," the company told Axios.axios.com+1

This is the second time in recent weeks that Kyiv has said the service was restricted. It comes as U.S. envoys try to restart peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.thehill.com

Missions failing

Zelensky first raised the alarm on Thursday, November 12. He said the military had found "not random errors but systematic speed restrictions". A Ukrainian official told Axios that 10% of missions were limited on the first day and 50% on the second, and that by the third day "100% of the missions fail because of restrictions". At a European summit in Dublin, Zelensky said the drones are launched from occupied areas. "Because of the speed restrictions, we simply cannot catch up with them in time," he said, noting that only drone interceptors, not aircraft, can operate near the front.president.gov.ua+1

Defense Ministry sources said on Friday that the 161 km/h cap applied across all Russian-occupied territory. They said no restrictions had been recorded in areas Ukraine controls. A battalion commander on the southern front told The Washington Post that his unit's mid-range strikes had been affected. Zelensky has told Ukraine's foreign and defense ministers to step up contacts with the State Department, the Pentagon and SpaceX to get answers.washingtonpost.com+2

Diplomacy and backlash

Zelensky said the restrictions began shortly before envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The envoys met Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday evening. Afterward, he said the discussions gave Kyiv "hope that we will end this war". The bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus said it was "extremely alarmed" and demanded "a full accounting" from the administration and SpaceX. U.S. senators have also called for an investigation.edition.cnn.com+2

October precedent

Similar outages in October caused an uproar in Washington. Administration officials blamed Elon Musk, who first denied the allegations but later accepted blame. He has not commented publicly on the latest disruption. Ukraine reaches Starshield through a U.S. government agreement. It uses the service to fly reconnaissance drones and intercept Russian attack drones, while commercial Starlink supports battlefield communications.axios.com+1