Ukraine negotiates with US over SpaceX Starshield speed limits on military drones
Kyiv seeks long-term guarantees from Washington as military-grade satellite connectivity is restored following frontline drone disruptions.
Ukraine has entered negotiations with SpaceX, the Pentagon, and US government officials to permanently remove operational speed limits on the Starshield satellite network, after sudden restrictions temporarily throttled Ukrainian military drone operations across the frontline.
The speed cap, imposed without prior warning on Thursday, automatically severed satellite data connections for terminals moving faster than 160 km/h (100 mph). The restriction severely hindered Ukraine’s high-speed interceptor drones and helicopters, which rely on the network to track and destroy fast-moving Russian Shahed jet drones travelling at speeds exceeding 400 km/h.
Although a Ukrainian defence ministry official confirmed that Starshield's in-motion functionality was restored later on Thursday, Kyiv is pressing Washington for formal clarity. Serhii Beskrestnov, a defence technology adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukrainian military units suffered mission failures during the outage and warned that the issue holds political as well as technical dimensions.
Starlink and Starshield compared
| Feature | Starlink | Starshield |
|---|---|---|
| Primary user | Commercial and civilian | US military and partner governments |
| Control and ownership | SpaceX | US government and military |
| Core capabilities | High-speed satellite internet | Encrypted communications, Earth observation, hosted payloads |
| Usage limits | Civilian and defensive only | Determined by US Department of Defense |
Starshield, unveiled by SpaceX in 2022, operates as a national security system separate from commercial Starlink services. While SpaceX controls Starlink, company founder Elon Musk clarified that Starshield is managed and controlled by the US military and government. The restriction coincided with mounting political friction between Washington and Kyiv over energy policy and intelligence sharing.
US President Donald Trump denied ordering the restrictions, telling reporters outside the White House that he did not believe Musk was responsible either. However, Ukrainian officials remain concerned about reliance on US-controlled space infrastructure and are already exploring alternative satellite systems, including Amazon's planned constellation and European operator Eutelsat’s OneWeb network.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Starshield speed threshold limit | 160 km/h (100 mph) | Serhii Beskrestnov, defence technology adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskyy |
| Target speed of Russian Shahed jet drones | Over 400 km/h (250 mph) | Serhii Beskrestnov, defence technology adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskyy |
| Status of Starshield motion capability | Restored on Thursday | Ukrainian Ministry of Defence official |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| The Pentagon | US Department of Defense managing Starshield capabilities. |
| SpaceX | Aerospace company providing Starlink and Starshield satellite networks. |
| Ukraine | Nation whose military drone operations were affected by satellite restrictions. |
| Serhii Beskrestnov | Defence technology adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who confirmed negotiations and impact of restrictions. |
| Starshield | Military-grade satellite communication service developed by SpaceX for defence operations. |
