Zelenskiy escalates criticism of SpaceX, saying Starshield speed caps undermine air defences

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy escalated his public criticism of SpaceX on Saturday, saying that speed restrictions the company has imposed on its military-grade Starshield satellite terminals have dangerous political implications and are undermining the country's critical air defences.

Zelenskiy said Starshield terminals operating in the temporarily Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine had been limited to a maximum speed of 161 kilometres per hour for the past five days, hampering Ukraine's military capabilities. The terminals provide secure satellite communications that Ukrainian forces use to coordinate drone operations and air defence responses.

Restrictions, political concerns and the company response

The Defence Ministry had raised the matter directly with SpaceX, Zelenskiy said in remarks released by his office on Saturday. He disputed the explanation that the problem was technical and argued that applying different rules in occupied territory risked treating it as no longer Ukrainian. These are the Ukrainian president's allegations, not an established finding about the company's intent.

He said the curbs prevented air-defence units from effectively intercepting Russian jet-powered drones and left cities more exposed. He ordered senior military and foreign ministry officials to seek clarification and restoration of unrestricted speeds. SpaceX has rejected the allegations, saying it introduced no new restrictions and made no changes to its satellite operations.

This is the second reported disruption in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials said that in mid-October, Starlink and Starshield services had been capped at around 160 kilometres per hour amid tensions with the US administration over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Service was restored on October 24. The latest claims concern limits of 161 kilometres per hour over the preceding five days, according to Zelenskiy.