The 161 km/h cap is back on Ukraine’s Starshield links, nearly three weeks after Kyiv got full speed restored
Last time, the cap lasted ten days and nobody in Washington would say who ordered it.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on November 12 that Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet, is being capped at 161 km/h (100 mph) again. This limit, which Kyiv refers to as deliberate, allows Russian jet-powered drones to evade interceptors and strike Ukrainian territory. Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi briefed Zelenskyy on the issue, which has caused significant disruptions to Ukraine's defensive systems.
The network is experiencing regular disruptions along the entire front line and in occupied territories, according to Ukrainian officials.
Zelenskyy expressed frustration, stating that the cap is making it much harder to intercept Russian jet-powered drones, contributing to more casualties and accurate strikes against Ukraine. He is working with Washington to investigate the cause of the limits. Russian Geran-5 drones, which are jet-powered, have been responsible for numerous strikes on Ukrainian cities nightly. As of November 12, 73 out of 123 Shahed-type drones launched by Russia were jet-powered.
The first Starshield speed cap was imposed on October 14, cutting links to Ukrainian drones moving faster than 161 km/h. Elon Musk, who oversees SpaceX, said the limits are determined by the US military and ultimately the President of the United States. Musk later claimed he had ordered the cap himself. Ukraine's Defense Ministry recorded stable links above 400 km/h on October 24 before the cap was reinstated.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
