Ukraine Says Someone Is Throttling Its SpaceX Internet as Trump Negotiates With Putin

Ukraine says restrictions on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet service in the country are back, once again disrupting its military’s ability to intercept Russian drones. This time around, the restrictions come as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X Thursday that military officials have reported: “significant disruptions to Starshield’s operations over the territory of Ukraine for several days now.” The disruptions reportedly extend across Ukraine’s entire front line with Russia and into Russian-occupied territories. Specifically, Zelenskyy said Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, is once again cutting off internet access to terminals moving faster than 161 kilometers per hour (100 mph). The speed limit is particularly problematic for Ukraine’s interceptor drones, which need to travel faster than that to catch Russian jet-powered drones. We have detected speed restrictions on Starshield on our Ukrainian territory – in the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine. The speed limit is back at 161 kilometers per hour – that’s 100 miles per hour. This directly affects our ability to intercept Russian jet-powered… pic.twitter.com/zJD48pUS2X — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 12, 2026 He said Ukraine’s military has investigated the disruptions and determined that they are not glitches but “systematic speed restrictions.” “For us, this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Unfortunately, there have already been strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time.” Zelenskyy said Ukraine is now seeking answers from the U.S. about the restrictions. This isn’t the first time Ukraine has faced these restrictions. Similar speed limits were imposed in mid-October, sparking a dispute over who was responsible. At the time, both SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump initially denied responsibility for the restrictions. Musk posted on X on Oct. 14 that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” he wrote. Trump also denied ordering the restrictions. “Well, I don’t know if it was anybody because it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump told reporters on Oct. 16. “And from what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been.” However, The Wall Street Journal reported days later, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter, that Musk had ordered the slowdown. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the order came from the White House. By Oct. 24, Ukraine said Starshield services were fully restored. Now, with restrictions back in place, Ukrainian officials suspect they could be an attempt to pressure Kyiv into making concessions in negotiations with Russia, according to the Financial Times. Zelenskyy also raised concerns Thursday about the implications of imposing the restrictions in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. “If someone in America is making decisions that basically treat Ukrainian territory as if it is not Ukrainian, then this tells us where things are going,” he said, according to the Associated Press. The timing is notable. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, following two days of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi that ended without a major breakthrough. The two U.S. envoys are also set to meet with Zelenskyy in Dublin later on Thursday. SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.