SpaceX imposed overnight speed restrictions on Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian forces, capping connectivity at 100 mph (160 km/h), according to a warning from President Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov on Wednesday. Beskrestnov said Ukraine received no advance notification of the limits and stated the move "cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation." SpaceX has not commented on the restrictions.
Ukrainian defence ministry sources told the BBC that once a vehicle or asset exceeds the 160 km/h threshold, the terminal loses its connection. The ministry said this degraded capabilities for drone operations, front line logistics, reconnaissance and signal relaying. Beskrestnov stressed that Starlink is the most effective tool for enabling interceptors to shoot down Russia's newly developed jet-propelled drones, and that the speed limits have already disrupted "a number of missions."
The restrictions emerged as Russia launched what Ukraine's air force said was 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and 128 drones overnight against Kyiv and other targets. Ukrainian forces said they shot down four missiles and 115 drones. At least 600,000 people across Ukraine lost electricity after the strikes, Zelensky said. Three people were killed in Kyiv, and at least six died in a Russian drone strike on a warehouse in Lutsk.
The timing of the Starlink restrictions coincides with tension over an "energy ceasefire" announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday. Trump claimed both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure. Zelensky said the US threatened to restrict intelligence sharing if he did not accept Trump's ceasefire proposal. Trump denied on Tuesday that Washington was withholding intelligence.
Zelensky noted that Ukraine relies on US satellite systems to track Russian missiles. Over the past two nights, missiles have struck Kyiv without warning, with sirens sounding after impact rather than before. Zelensky prepared to meet UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Downing Street on Wednesday to discuss accelerating air defence supplies.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine does not deserve the "respite" a ceasefire would bring, warning that Europe would use any truce to "pump [Ukraine] with new weapons."
Starlink became critical to Ukrainian operations in February 2022 when SpaceX denied Russian forces access to the network, blunting Moscow's advance.