Zelensky Steps Up Criticism of SpaceX Over Starshield Speed Limits

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, November 14, sharply criticised US space company SpaceX over speed limits on its military-grade Starshield satellite communication terminals. He said the restrictions endanger air defences and carry dangerous political implications, as they affect terminals in Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia.

Zelensky said the maximum speed of these terminals had been capped at 161 kph for the past five days, weakening Ukraine's military capabilities. According to him, the Defense Ministry has already raised the matter with SpaceX at the institutional level.

The president's arguments

"The restrictions have now been in place for five days. They say it is some kind of technical issue. We do not believe that is the case," Zelensky told reporters, in comments released by his office on Saturday. He argued that imposing limits in those areas amounts to partially recognising them as not belonging to Ukraine, so Kyiv has the right to raise the issue and demand that speeds be restored without any restrictions.

He said the caps make it harder for Ukrainian air defence units to intercept Russian jet-powered drones and leave Ukrainian cities more vulnerable. He added that he had instructed senior military officials and Foreign Ministry leadership to address the problem and seek clarification.

SpaceX response and earlier incident

SpaceX has rejected the allegations, saying it did not introduce new restrictions or alter its satellite operations.

This is the second such outage in recent weeks. In mid-October, Ukrainian officials said SpaceX had limited the speed of Starlink and Starshield communication systems to about 160 kph (100 mph), amid tensions with the administration of US President Donald Trump over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. Service was restored on October 24.