Zelenskiy escalates criticism of SpaceX, saying Starshield terminals in occupied areas have been capped at 161 kph for five days; SpaceX denies new restrictions
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy escalated his criticism of SpaceX on Saturday, November 14, Reuters reported. Zelenskiy said speed restrictions on the company's military-grade Starshield satellite terminals in temporarily Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine had been limited to a maximum speed of 161 kph for the past five days, hampering Ukraine's military capabilities and carrying dangerous political implications for critical air defences.
Zelenskiy said the Ukrainian Defence Ministry has raised the issue with SpaceX at the institutional level. "They say it is some kind of technical issue. We do not believe that is the case," he told reporters in remarks released by his office.
SpaceX has pushed back against the allegations, denying that it introduced new restrictions or made any changes to its satellite operations.
It is the second such outage in recent weeks. In mid-October, Ukrainian officials said SpaceX limited the speed of Starlink and Starshield systems to about 160 kph amid tensions with the Trump administration over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. Service was then restored on October 24.
Related: Zelensky Says Starshield Faces Systematic Speed Restrictions Again, Complicating Drone Interceptions
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乌克兰士兵在野外架设 Starlink 卫星终端（资料图）。来源：Support Forces of Ukraine Command，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0。 / Photo: A Ukrainian service member sets up a Starlink terminal in the field (file photo). Source: Support Forces of Ukraine Command, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
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- 2026-11-14Zelenskiy escalates criticism of SpaceX, saying Starshield terminals in occupied areas have been capped at 161 kph for five days; SpaceX denies new restrictionsThis story
