Starshield Restrictions Disrupt Ukrainian Drone Strikes as Musk Points to Pentagon
Elon Musk listens as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington
New Starshield speed restrictions have disrupted Ukrainian drone operations, forcing some planned strikes to be cancelled and causing communication losses lasting 10–20 seconds, The Telegraph reported.A Ukrainian unit said the interruptions “directly affected the use of the drones that use Starlink for control during flight.” The effective speed limit was reportedly around 100 mph, or 160 km/h, although problems were also reported at lower speeds.NBC News reported that Ukrainian forces learned about the restrictions only after contacting SpaceX customer support over connectivity problems. According to a Ukrainian official, SpaceX had given no advance warning.Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov then appealed to Elon Musk to remove the limits, calling Starshield “critical for Ukraine’s defense.”
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk responded.
He also stressed that commercial Starlink “is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action.”
