Zelenskyy states that due to restrictions in the Starshield system, Ukrainian drones cannot catch up with jet-powered Shaheds. SpaceX claims a technical glitch

On Sunday, November 15, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on his Telegram channel that Russian forces are taking advantage of artificial restrictions in the operation of the American Starshield satellite system to conduct strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.

According to him, over the past week alone, Russia has launched more than 2,300 strike drones, 1,590 guided aerial bombs, and 15 missiles of various types against Ukraine. On the night and morning of November 15, energy facilities in the Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odesa, Zhytomyr, and Kirovohrad regions, railway infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as targets in the Donetsk and Kyiv regions came under attack, leaving 16 people injured.

Zelenskyy explained that the Russian military is purposefully targeting electrical substations with Shaheds, and a significant portion of these drones breaches Ukrainian air defenses due to a speed limit imposed on Starshield terminals.

Along the front line and in temporarily occupied territories, Ukrainian interceptor drones lose connection with their operators when accelerating up to 161 km/h—or 100 miles per hour—making them physically unable to catch up with the new Russian jet-powered Shaheds.

The President of Ukraine instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and his Office to work with the American side and SpaceX to lift these restrictions.

Why "Bars" units cannot intercept targets on approach

Volodymyr Zelenskyy first publicly raised the issue on November 12 following briefings by Minister of Defense Yevhen Khmara and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatiy, as reported by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. At the time, the head of state noted that Ukrainian specialists had analyzed the operation of the terminals and determined that this was not a matter of accidental errors, but rather a systemic software speed restriction.

Details on how this impacts combat operations were disclosed to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty by Denys Senik, a senior Ukrainian diplomat in Washington. As of November 14, he confirmed that the disruptions had been ongoing for five consecutive days, with daily testing across different sectors of the front line yielding the exact same outcome.

The diplomat cited the example of the specialized Ukrainian "Bars" units, which use Starshield communications to hunt down jet-powered Shaheds.

Due to signal cutoff at high speeds, service members can no longer shoot down Russian drones right near the line of contact or over occupied territory. Instead, Ukrainian forces are forced to wait until the drones fly deep into Kyiv-controlled territory and reach secondary lines of defense, which gives the Russian side an additional advantage.

SpaceX's position

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine directly contacted SpaceX for an explanation; however, Elon Musk's company rejected the allegations.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, Ukrainian officials told reporters that SpaceX replied: "We do not impose any restrictions."

Company representatives cited technical issues, but ignored a follow-up question regarding why these problems occur specifically over temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine.

Kyiv does not accept the technical glitch explanation and points to the political ramifications of such geographical partitioning. In a statement released by the Office of the President on November 14, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that differences in service operation across different parts of the country infringe upon territorial integrity:

"If you introduce restrictions there, you are already partially recognizing the temporarily occupied territories as not ours."

The current conflict over satellite communications follows a similar incident that occurred in October 2026. At that time, the Ukrainian side also reported that the speed limit of Starlink terminals and the Starshield military network had been reduced to approximately 160 km/h; however, full service capability was restored on October 24. SpaceX founder Elon Musk previously stated that the Starshield system is fully controlled by the US government, where speed parameters and operational conditions are determined by the US military, with the final word resting with President Donald Trump. Trump himself denied any involvement in introducing the restrictions.

The factor of negotiations with the Kremlin

The situation has provoked a sharp reaction in the US Congress, where lawmakers are concerned about the degree to which allies' defense capabilities depend on the decisions of a single private corporation. In a letter released on November 13, Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons of the Foreign Relations Committee officially demanded that Elon Musk preserve all documentation and correspondence related to Starlink and Starshield restrictions for Ukraine beginning September 1. This includes communications involving Musk himself, SpaceX management, Ukrainian representatives, the White House, and the Pentagon. The billionaire must confirm compliance with the data preservation request by November 30.

Simultaneously with the senators, leading House Democrats—Gregory Meeks of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Adam Smith of the Armed Services Committee—issued statements of criticism. They stated that previous communication blackouts had already led to the deaths of Ukrainian civilians, including children, and had strengthened Moscow's position.

Experts interviewed by journalists link the satellite issues to a broader geopolitical context. Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Amos Fox from the Future Security Initiative at Arizona State University pointed out that this case highlights the dangers of a monopoly:

"A competitor to Musk's dominance in this field would help insulate nations like Ukraine from the political whims of individuals like Musk."

Meanwhile, University of Chicago professor Paul Poast recalled that Musk had previously justified signal throttling by his own interpretation of SpaceX's terms of service. According to the scholar, while there is no direct evidence yet, the renewed disruptions could serve as an indirect leverage mechanism against Kyiv during diplomatic maneuvering.

The Starshield performance issues have coincided with heightened efforts by Donald Trump's administration to secure an agreement to bring an end to the war. This week, on November 12, Vladimir Putin hosted US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin. Following the talks, Kushner announced on social media on November 14 that the next phase would focus on organizing direct dialogue between Russia and European governments, as well as preparing a new round of trilateral negotiations. At the same time, warnings against making concessions to the Kremlin continue to emerge both within the US and among allies: Republican Senator Tom Cotton called Moscow's demand to pull NATO forces out of Eastern Europe absurd, while French President Emmanuel Macron stated that curbing assistance to Ukraine leads to an unjust peace and sets the stage for a new war. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment regarding the Starshield situation.

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