Zelenskyy accuses SpaceX of restricting Ukraine's military satellites

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Nov, 05:49 · Archive

Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses SpaceX of imposing politically motivated speed limits on Starshield, Ukraine's military satellite system.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused SpaceX of not being truthful over restrictions to Starshield, its military-grade satellite system. Speed limits imposed on the system have been in place for five days, with terminals capped at 161km/h (100mph), Zelenskyy said on Friday. At higher speeds, connections are lost.

The restrictions have severely affected Ukrainian operations. Incoming Russian Shahed jet-powered drones can no longer be intercepted at the speeds the system previously allowed, Zelenskyy said. Ukraine's own mid-range strikes against military targets in Russian-occupied territory have also been severely affected, with the problems detected across the entire frontline.

Zelenskyy said SpaceX had told Kyiv there were no restrictions in place and that any problems were technical. He rejected this explanation. 'There is no clear explanation as to why Ukraine's operations are being throttled,' he said. Ukraine's ministry of defence has raised the issue with SpaceX, the Pentagon and the US state department. SpaceX has denied making any changes to its service.

How it is being reported

• Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky challenges SpaceX over Starshield as US raises Donbas proposalKyiv says restrictions on military-grade Starshield terminals have left Ukrainian forces less able to intercept Russian jet-powered dronesIndependent World · 15 Nov, 05:32
• SpaceX not being honest about ‘political’ reasons for slowing Starshield, says ZelenskyyThrottling of Elon Musk’s military-grade satellite system affecting whole frontline, says Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused SpaceX of not telling the truth over restrictions to Ukraine’s Starshield satellite system , saying that the decision to impose speed limits appears to be “political” rather than “technical”. Speaking on Friday, Ukraine’s president said the restrictions affecting Ukrainian drones had been in place for five days. They could no longer fly at speeds of more than 161km/h (100mph), he said, with connections at higher speeds lost. Continue reading...The Guardian · 14 Nov, 11:05

In this story: Volodymyr Zelenskyy · SpaceX · Ukraine · Russia · Elon Musk

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