Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, addressing journalists on Wednesday, stated that newly imposed Pentagon limits on Ukraine's military operations would lead to increased casualties. He described the restriction as an error of considerable proportion.
Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov — a Ukrainian tech blogger who also serves as a presidential adviser — posted to Telegram on Thursday morning that SpaceX had placed speed-based restrictions on Starlink terminals the previous night, limiting their operation while in transit. That speed threshold of 100 miles per hour applies at present only within the military Starshield service tier, and without access to the full capability, certain gaps arose in how Ukraine conducted its military operations.
Zelensky reported via social media on Wednesday that 124 drone sorties had taken place through the night, with a further 145 recorded during daylight hours, adding that the strikes were directed at power facilities, transport links, and rail networks. By the measure of scope, the incident ranks among the broader ones on record.
Reports point to efforts by Russian forces to take advantage of connectivity disruptions affecting Starlink — a network that drone interception operations, along with other battlefield systems, depend on. Zelensky acknowledged his displeasure with Elon Musk over the data-transfer restrictions, while also raising the possibility that outside pressure had played a role in that decision. In a public statement, Musk placed the responsibility on Donald Trump.
Starshield is operated by SpaceX under contracts with government clients and functions as a communications network whose stated purpose is to serve national security requirements. Pricing runs at roughly five times the rate charged for the company's consumer and commercial Starlink tiers.
Musk has maintained that Starlink and offensive military operations are distinct, and that the satellite network is not available for use in combat roles. Starshield draws on largely the same underlying technology, and both programmes have been put to military use by governments — a pattern that has continued alongside Musk's repeated objections.
Figures published by a broadcast outlet in the preceding month placed UK expenditure on Starshield — covering both terminals and airtime — at roughly £13 million, with a further £16.5 million directed towards Starlink. The Ministry of Defence turned to Starshield once SpaceX placed restrictions on Starlink, limiting that service to morale, welfare, recreation, and training applications. The Ministry described Starshield as carrying data-protection features tailored to armed-forces use, along with contractual terms drawn up specifically for military clients.
Starlink's standard tier is built around fixed-location use, with the company attaching a surcharge to "roam" plans that handle movement at speeds reaching 100mph (160kmh), and a separate "aviation" tier rated for travel up to 300mph (482kmh). In a post to Twitter on Wednesday, Musk stated that the Starshield systems remain under US government ownership and control.
Beskrestnov reported that a revised, lower throughput ceiling was imposed on the Starshield service late Tuesday without advance notice, adding that authority over any such restrictions on speed or usage rests with the US military and, at the highest level, with the president. According to a broadcast news outlet, certain units recorded signal loss at speeds beginning around 44mph. Ukraine's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov indicated in a social media post that Starlink service was being brought back online for vehicles travelling at speeds of up to 160 km/h.
Zelensky called for all throttling restrictions on Starshield to be lifted, describing the move as necessary for Ukraine's war effort, and separately expressed gratitude to Musk while appealing for his backing to continue.
Speed restrictions placed on Starshield at "roam" levels put drone operators in a position where neither available path is without drawbacks — reducing velocity leaves aircraft more exposed to interception or evasion, while operating without a live data connection undermines the accuracy of targeting systems. According to Beskrestnov, the incident interfered with the operation of multiple missions, with both extended-range operations and frontline supply chains among those affected.
One broadcaster's coverage indicated that disruptions to network connectivity left a drone strike on a munitions depot inside Ukraine incomplete, while also hampering Ukrainian forces' capacity to track and intercept Russia's fast-moving jet-propelled drones. Beskrestnov noted that Starlink forms part of the intercept-based air-defence setup that has shown the strongest results against the jet-propelled Shahed drones Russia has deployed.
Zelensky attributed Ukrainian troop losses to the speed restriction, noting that Starlink-guided interceptor drones — described as moving at high velocity — rely on that system to track down incoming threats, while a quoted passage conveyed an allied partner's view that the constraint removes one of the limited available means of aerial defence against jet-propelled Shaheds. In a Wednesday evening interview, he expressed anger toward Musk, saying that a particular decision had led to loss of life among personnel and that he was uncertain whether Musk had acted independently or under pressure from others. He added that troops, upon receiving word of the situation overnight, attempted to reach SpaceX and their American military counterparts, with questions raised about what might be happening, including the possibility of technical difficulties.
Zelensky told his Tuesday evening address that Kyiv had been struck by ballistic missiles the previous day without any advance notice from allied partners, noting that such alerts are ordinarily provided and play a meaningful role in the country's ability to defend itself. He stated that no warning reached anyone on the ground until the object was already upon them.
Zelensky told interviewers that Washington had attributed the intelligence gaps to a technical fault, yet the disruptions carried on through much of the night. He added that the case for partner cooperation with Ukraine rested on its potential to reduce casualties and protect more lives. Broadcasting reports indicated that US officials conveyed to their Ukrainian counterparts that the early-warning system for detecting Russian missile launches had gone offline because of adverse weather conditions.
Doubts have persisted on the Ukrainian side about that account, given media reports indicating the US had placed conditions on continued intelligence-sharing and arms transfers, tied to Ukraine pulling back from attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Trump told reporters that intelligence-sharing with Ukraine had continued, noting that assistance and information were still flowing to Kyiv. Trump conveyed that an end to the conflict was the goal, adding that efforts toward that outcome were underway in coordination with both parties involved, including Russia.
