In brief
Ukraine’s satellite‑based Starlink system continues to falter at high speeds, hampering drone operations despite President Trump’s assertion that Elon Musk lifted the limits. Defense ministry sources report drones losing links over 100mph, a critical setback in combat coordination. Musk maintains the slowdown is not deliberate, while the U.S. government denies intentional throttling. The dispute illustrates broader tensions over military tech access amid the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s satellite‑based Starlink network – a lifeline for its forces on the front line – is still reportedly suffering speed limits that chop drone and command‑and‑control links at speeds above 100 mph. According to sources in the defence ministry, drones flying at 161 km/h (100 mph) have lost connection, disrupting artillery coordination and real‑time battlefield surveillance.
President Donald Trump announced last week that Elon Musk had reversed the restrictions, citing his own conversation with the SpaceX founder. “If there is a problem, I will get it straightened out,” Trump told reporters. Although he said he had not yet spoken to Musk, Trump indicated that a fix was in place, yet Ukrainian officials remain sceptical, noting, “I have not spoken to him. I might have to, but I have not.”
Musk counters that the slowdown is not intentional. He clarified that Ukraine uses the civilian Starlink service and the more secure, U.S.‑controlled Starshield network, both of which rely on a constellation of 10,000 low‑Earth orbit satellites. “Starshield is critical for see‑and‑shoot air‑to‑air drones,” a Ukrainian drone commander told the BBC, adding that “no real‑time backup exists when the link drops.”
The U.S. White House has repeatedly denied deliberately throttling Starlink for Ukraine. Yet the Pentagon has been implicated by Musk, who suggested that U.S. policy might underlie the speed capping, while Ukrainian officials report no confirmation that the limitations have fully lifted.
The dispute unfolds against a backdrop of political friction: while Trump is accused of easing U.S. sanctions on Russia in a bid to import diesel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky frames the Starlink issue as part of a broader effort to curtail Ukraine’s military advantage. “We need a backup for securing communications and internet,” one Ukrainian soldier warned, stressing that even a one‑second lag could change the outcome of an engagement.
In a late‑night call, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham emphasized the necessity of full, uninterrupted access to satellite links for Ukraine’s defense. “Ukraine must retain full access to Starlink so they can continue to defend themselves against Russia’s full‑scale invasion,” Downing Street stated.
