Zelensky Says Starshield Faces Systematic Speed Restrictions Again, Complicating Drone Interceptions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on November 12 that Starshield, the military-grade satellite service critical to Ukraine's operations, has again faced significant disruptions in recent days. He called them systematic speed restrictions rather than random errors, and said Kyiv was trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side.
Zelensky said the restrictions primarily mean a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones. \"Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine,\" he posted on X. Starshield is the military version of Elon Musk's Starlink service, built by SpaceX.
It is not the first episode. In October, Ukraine said speed limits were imposed on Starshield terminals as relations between Kyiv and Washington deteriorated; President Trump denied approving that decision, while Musk said the Trump administration was behind the restrictions. GSM has since followed Zelensky questioning in a PBS interview whether Musk could decide such limits alone, and Ukraine's push to start renewal talks ahead of the contract's mid-2027 expiry.
Zelensky spoke on the same day that President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, following trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that ended without a breakthrough. Russia also launched a ballistic missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight into Thursday, killing at least one person in Kyiv.
(Source: CNN)
Source: CNN
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乌克兰总统泽连斯基（资料图，摄于2026年纽约气候周期间，本站档案图复用）。照片：CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (file photo, taken during Climate Week NYC 2026; GSM archive reuse). CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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