Starlink restrictions ‘depriving’ Ukraine of defence means: Zelensky adviser

A senior Ukrainian official said the disruption severely restricts logistics and is happening in sync with a Russian ballistic attack. Restrictions were placed on some Starlink internet terminals overnight, a technology adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday, affecting Kyiv’s ability to defend against Russia’s jet-powered drones. Ukraine uses the satellite system controlled by SpaceX owner Elon Musk for its battlefield communications, but the tech titan has shifted his stance on the country several times since Russia’s invasion in 2022. “Tonight SpaceX introduced a speed limit for the Starlink terminals in motion,” Zelensky’s technology adviser Sergiy Beskrestnov said on Telegram. “Our defence forces were not warned about this restriction, which led to the disruption of a number of missions,” he added. He later warned that through the move, “our partners are depriving us of one of the few chances we have to defend the country against jet-powered Shahed drones”. Russia’s newer jet-powered drones move faster and are harder to intercept than the traditional models. There was no immediate comment by Starlink or Musk after Ukraine’s claims. Ukraine has been using Starlink terminals to provide satellite internet connections as an alternative to radio control for its drones. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that the disruption “severely restricts logistics”. “Some restrictions were already being reported yesterday evening. So, in effect, it is happening in sync with this morning’s Russian ballistic attack,” the official added. The official, who asked not to be identified, also said that by throttling Starlink, the United States was “helping Russia”. Trump wrote in a social media post Sunday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an energy ceasefire in the war. But Ukraine reported that a Russian missile struck a power plant in Kyiv on Tuesday evening. Zelensky said in August that Kyiv was seeking to develop an alternative to Starlink in partnership “with a European country” that he did not identify.