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View all search resultsUkraine says SpaceX limits Starlink operations, disrupting military
The satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk's company are vital for guiding Ukraine's longer-range drone strikes in occupied southern and eastern Ukraine, which have wreaked havoc on Russian logistics.
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This handout picture taken on Aug. 22, 2026 and released on Aug. 24 by press-service of Ukraine's 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade shows the serviceman of the brigade walking in Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, amid Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP/Ukraine's 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade/Iryna Rybakova)
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paceX has introduced a limit on some Starlink services in Ukraine, disrupting combat drone missions for which the technology is crucial, officials said on Wednesday.
The satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk's company are vital for guiding Ukraine's longer-range drone strikes in occupied southern and eastern Ukraine, which have wreaked havoc on Russian logistics.
"Our defence forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions," presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.
Beskrestnov said SpaceX had stopped the operation of its military-grade version above 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).
Ukraine's 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, deployed in the southeast, added that units had been forced to cancel some missions.
"According to our observations, during flights, the connection could drop for 10–20 seconds at speeds of just 110–120 km/h. The drones kept moving, but these interruptions made them harder to control," it said in a statement to Reuters.
A source in Ukraine's defence ministry added that the limitations significantly complicate logistics and some drone operations.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular US business hours.
A senior Ukrainian officials told AFP that the United States is helping Russia in its war with Ukraine, blaming Washington for not warning Kyiv about incoming strikes and slowing Starlink.
"There have already been two cases where the Americans did not provide warnings about Russian ballistic launches, a massive ballistic attack against our energy sector... And on top of that they've throttled Starlink speeds," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
Since being turned on over Ukraine in the early days of Russia's invasion in 2022, Starlink has been the lifeblood of Ukrainian battlefield communications, with units using its satellite internet to talk to each other.
Over time, its resistance to electronic signal jamming also made it a crucial tool for flying long-range attack drones as well as large hexacopters which drop supplies to Ukraine's frontline.
