Zelensky calls on US and Musk to lift Starlink curbs and be on “right side of history”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said speed restrictions on Starshield terminals are still hampering Ukraine’s efforts to intercept Russian jet-powered drones targeting its electricity substations, the BBC reports.

“Our interceptor drones lose connection with their operators at a speed of 161km/h (100mph) and simply cannot catch up with Russian jet-powered ‘shaheds’,” Zelensky posted on Sunday.

Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink, is used by Ukraine to intercept missiles and drones, while the regular Starlink service handles battlefield communications.

The restrictions, first identified in October, sparked conflicting accounts from SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who blamed the US government, and US President Donald Trump, who denied responsibility and said he had told Musk to “put it back”.

On Friday, Zelensky said the limits, enforced since Monday, applied only in Russian-occupied areas.

“It already has political implications. If you impose restrictions there, you are already partially recognising the temporary occupied territories as not ours,” the New York Times quoted him as saying.