Starlink speed limits disrupt Ukraine's drone operations

Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov warned this week that Starshield, the military version of Starlink, no longer works for weapons traveling faster than 160 kilometers per hour, impacting many Ukrainian drones reliant on the satellite system. SpaceX reportedly imposed the speed restriction without prior notice to Ukraine. Starshield, developed by SpaceX for the Pentagon, is separate from Starlink's commercial broadband service, though the line between them is sometimes blurred. The restrictions render Ukrainian attack drones targeting behind the front line practically unusable and complicate efforts to shoot down Russian "Shahed" drones traveling near 200 kilometers per hour. Defense professor Hans Livång says the limits create a setback for Ukraine's planned defense operations but do not fully disable them, and adaptation is possible at a cost. Long-range strikes deep into Russian territory remain unaffected as those drones are pre-programmed. SpaceX owner Elon Musk says the U.S. government controls Starshield, while the White House has not confirmed his statement.