American blow to the Ukrainian army. SpaceX has introduced restrictions

The problem that the Ukrainian army experienced on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday is reported by, among others, Serhiy Sternenko, one of the most effective activists supporting the Ukrainian army.

"At night, the operation of Starlink terminals was limited. At speeds above 160 km/h, communication began to disappear. This disrupted a number of important missions. SpaceX probably took such actions at the request of the Trump administration," he writes.

The reports are confirmed by Serhiy Beskrestnov, advisor to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the development of defense technologies. "Last night, SpaceX introduced a speed limit for Starlink terminals used in traffic. The limit currently applies to the Starshield military package and has been set at 100 miles per hour, or approximately 100 miles per hour," it reports.

The expert notes that the Ukrainian forces were not informed about the introduced restriction, "which led to disruption of the implementation of a number of missions." "It is clear that this action cannot be accidental and is related to the current political situation," Beskrestnow emphasizes.

Starlink terminals on Ukrainian drones

The interlocutors of the Ukraińska Pravda portal explain that the regular Starlink - Starlink Mini - mounted on drones has a speed limit of 160 km/h. This is not enough to complete part of the mission. In order for the unmanned vehicle to move faster, it is necessary to have access to the military version of Starlink, i.e. Starshield.

Publicly available data shows that Ukraine started using Starshield in 2024.

Starlink terminals are mounted on drones because they provide several key advantages - virtually unlimited communication range, resistance to interference caused by electronic warfare, as well as real-time data transmission, which allows the operator to precisely guide the machine to the target.