- Ukraine accuses SpaceX of limiting military Starlink speeds, affecting drone operations.
- When speeds exceed 100 miles per hour, Starlink service fails, affecting missions.
- SpaceX has not responded to these allegations and has not confirmed whether any changes were made.
- Ukraine is considering backup options and developing its own satellite system to address the problem.
Ukrainian officials have accused SpaceX of imposing speed limits on the military version of Starlink, which its forces use to control drones, but SpaceX has not confirmed whether any changes were made. According to Reuters, presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said in a Telegram post on Wednesday that Starshield terminals begin losing service when moving faster than about 100 miles per hour. "Our defense forces were not warned about this restriction, which has disrupted several missions," he wrote.
Ukraine's 7th Rapid Reaction Corps told Reuters that at speeds of 68 to 75 miles per hour, the connection drops for 10 to 20 seconds, making drone control more difficult. Volunteer Serhiy Sternenko, citing military reports, said outages now begin at 37 to 43 miles per hour. The claims come from Ukrainian officials and military sources and have not been independently verified. According to EUalive, ordinary civilian terminals appear to be unaffected.
SpaceX Response and Allegations
SpaceX has not publicly commented on the matter or explained whether any changes were made. Beskrestnov and other Ukrainian officials believe the issue is deliberate and point to its timing. Washington has been pressing Kyiv to stop long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, after President Trump called for an "energy ceasefire," and Elon Musk posted on Saturday that "Zelensky has gone too far." EUalive noted that Ukrainian and Polish officials have not provided evidence that the restriction was ordered by Washington or SpaceX, so the link to politics remains only an allegation.
Other explanations, such as technical or policy changes affecting fast-moving terminals, have not been ruled out.
Ukraine Seeks Backup Options
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski responded on X, citing a report by the Kyiv Independent and writing: "Hey, @elonmusk, big guy, are you playing politics with your product again? As your European customer, we are watching you." Poland is the largest funder of Ukraine's Starlink service, having provided more than 29,000 terminals and covering about $50 million in operating costs. The wording echoes their 2025 clash, when Elon Musk told Sikorski to "be quiet, little man."
As of now, Elon Musk and SpaceX have not responded to these allegations.
The dispute builds on a long history. Elon Musk confirmed in February 2022 that Starlink was activated in Ukraine at the request of a Ukrainian minister. By October, SpaceX asked the Pentagon to share the costs, with Elon Musk saying the cost was close to $20 million per month, before he reversed course and said SpaceX would continue paying. In December 2024, the Pentagon moved some terminals to the Starshield service, the government version now at the center of the complaints.
SpaceX has previously changed how its network handled certain terminals in Ukraine, and that time it was in cooperation with Kyiv. In February, Ukrainian officials confirmed that terminals believed to be used by Russian forces were disabled after coordination with SpaceX, and Ukrainian commanders later said the move affected Russian attacks. It is not yet clear whether a similar situation led to the latest reports, so Kyiv is seeking answers.
Ukraine is already considering backup options. Defense technology company Stetman is developing its own satellite system, UASAT-NANO, while European officials have discussed alternatives to Starlink since early 2025, though none currently matches its scale.
The Importance and Impact of Military Starlink
Ukraine's accusations that SpaceX is limiting military Starlink speeds reflect the technology's critical role in the current conflict. Drones are increasingly important in modern warfare, especially in information warfare and precision strikes. The lack of transparency in SpaceX's response has led Ukrainian officials to suspect that political factors may be influencing technical operations. As Ukraine considers backup options, this could affect the flexibility and efficiency of its military operations and push other countries to seek independent development of satellite communications technology.