Make New York Post a Preferred Source Ukraine is once again facing speed restrictions when operating SpaceX’s Starshield military system, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.
Speaking before the European Political Community Summit, Zelensky revealed that his military units have experienced significant disruptions to the Starshield system for several days.
“This directly affects our ability to intercept Russian jet-powered ‘shahed’ drones,” Zelensky said following a massive Russian barrage across Ukraine.
“This means more Russian strikes get through, and more of our people are killed by Russia,” he added. “We are trying to get the details from the American side, but so far, we know very little.”
The issue was the same that hit Ukraine last month when Kyiv’s military experienced limited connectivity for equipment traveling faster than roughly 100 mph.
The disruption sparked a blame game between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and the Trump administration, who each claimed the other was the one responsible for the restriction.
President Trump had called on Musk to lift any limits on crucial internet services to Ukraine’s military, with the administration confirming that systems were back and running following the October disruption.
Zelensky said the issues are specifically centered in the frontline, where Ukraine has managed to keep Russia’s invading forces at bay and even pushed back in 2026.
Zelensky suggested the restrictions were intentional to stop his military from attacking Russia, despite the fact that the frontline spans across occupied Ukraine.
“If someone in America is making decisions that basically treat Ukrainian territory as if it is not Ukrainian, then this tells us where things are going,” he added, referencing the strained U.S.-led peace talks.
“We need to be clear and never recognize Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory in any way.”
During this week’s trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, Russia reiterated its claim to the land its military currently occupies in Ukraine, adding that Kyiv should give up the rest of its territory in the Donbas region.
The Ukrainian delegations fired back by vowing to not give up any of the land Russia has taken during the nearly five-year war, with no progress made yet toward a cease-fire.
