KYIV, Ukraine — Overnight speed limits on Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network disrupted Ukrainian battlefield “missions,” an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Wednesday, as Russia’s latest missile and drone barrage left hundreds of thousands without power, BBC News, DW and CBC News reported.
Serhiy Beskrestnov said SpaceX had “implemented overnight a speed limit on Starlink terminals” at 100 mph (160 km/h) without informing Ukrainian troops, and that the change had already disrupted operations. A Ukrainian defence ministry source confirmed the restriction to the BBC, saying terminals lose connectivity once a vehicle or asset exceeds that speed — a problem for interceptor and mid-range strike drones as well as front-line logistics and reconnaissance. SpaceX has not publicly commented. Beskrestnov wrote that the move “cannot be a coincidence” and is tied to “the current political situation.”
Starlink remains a critical tool for guiding drones and defending Ukrainian airspace. The speed-limit dispute comes amid friction with Washington over strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and Trump’s claimed “energy ceasefire,” which Moscow has rejected.
Zelenskyy said Russia fired 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 120 attack drones overnight at energy and critical infrastructure in Kyiv, the Kyiv region and Kharkiv, leaving at least 600,000 people without electricity. Local officials said three people were killed in Kyiv. Ukraine’s air force said four missiles and 115 drones were shot down. It was the second night in a row ballistic missiles struck the capital without early partner warnings, the BBC said. Zelenskyy was due to meet British Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London on Wednesday to press for more air defenses.
Sources: BBC News, DW, CBC News
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