SpaceX Imposes 160 km/h Speed Limit on Military Starlink Terminals in Ukraine, Disrupting Drone Missions

SpaceX imposed a 160 km/h speed limit on military-grade Starlink terminals in Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday, disrupting drone missions without prior notice.

Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram that the restriction applied to the Starshield package. Terminals exceeding the threshold lose connectivity. He said the move could not be a coincidence and was linked to the current political situation. Ukraine’s defence ministry confirmed that connectivity drops once vehicles or assets exceed 160 km/h.

The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, deployed in the southeast, reported that units cancelled some missions. During flights the connection could drop for 10 to 20 seconds at speeds of 110 to 120 km/h, the corps said. The interruptions made drones harder to control. The restriction also affects interceptor drones used against jet-powered Shaheds.

Ordinary civilian Starlink terminals continued to function. The military-grade version is the one subject to the speed cap. Polish officials, who fund many Ukrainian subscriptions, noted the change. SpaceX has not publicly commented.

The timing coincides with increased US pressure on Kyiv to halt long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said overnight Russian strikes left at least 600,000 people without power and damaged about 30 energy facilities. He called the attacks an ostentatious disrespect to efforts by Donald Trump to arrange an energy ceasefire.

Ukrainian forces have used Starlink for years to guide drones and maintain front-line communications. The sudden cap forces operators to fly slower or accept intermittent control. Some units are seeking alternatives through military channels with the United States. Trump said on Wednesday that intelligence sharing had not been cut off.

The concrete effect reported by Ukrainian sources is the loss of high-speed connectivity on the military package, the cancellation of missions, and short dropouts even below the stated threshold. Whether the limit was requested by Washington or introduced by SpaceX independently remains unconfirmed by either side. The operational record on Wednesday is the one Beskrestnov and the 7th Corps described: no warning, speed-dependent outages, and disrupted drone work while Russian strikes on power stations continued.