SpaceX not being honest about political reasons for slowing Starshield, says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused SpaceX of dishonesty over speed caps on the Starshield satellite network, calling the restrictions political rather than technical. For five days, satellite connections have failed whenever Ukrainian drones exceed 161 km/h (100 mph). The widespread throttling has crippled Ukraine's ability to intercept fast, jet-powered Russian Shahed drones and severely degraded mid-range strikes against military targets in occupied territory.
SpaceX told Kyiv that no restrictions were being enforced, attributing the disruptions to technical faults. However, Zelenskyy stated that daily testing across the entire frontline proved the slowdown was systematic. Ukrainian officials suspect the measure is intended to pressure Kyiv into making concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The disruption coincided with talks in Abu Dhabi, where US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff asked if Ukraine would yield the Donbas region for NATO-like security guarantees.
Zelenskyy categorically rejected ceding land, stressing that peace requires a genuine ceasefire backed by enforceable Western security commitments. He also brushed aside Putin’s proposal for a five-day humanitarian pause in Kostiantynivka, denouncing it as a ploy to force Ukrainian troops out so Russian forces can occupy the contested city.
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