Ukraine Starlink Restrictions Disrupt Some Drone Operations

Ukraine’s use of Starlink-linked satellite communications faced speed restrictions that disrupted some military drone operations, while accounts from U.S. officials and Ukrainian leaders conflict over who authorized the change and whether it was lifted. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said October 21 that Ukraine’s access and permitted speeds were governed by SpaceX under a private commercial contract. He said he was unaware whether the administration knew about the decision beforehand. Rubio’s comments came after he had said service was restored, a claim that conflicts with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s account of continuing restrictions. Zelenskyy said on October 17 that the limits remained in place and prevented interceptor drones from working against Russian attack drones. He said Ukrainian terminals lost connectivity when moving faster than about 161 km/h inside Ukraine, while test vehicles continued working above 180 km/h in European Union countries. The restriction applied to terminal movement, not internet data speed, according to Zelenskyy. The reported effect was concentrated on fast-moving aircraft using satellite links. Stationary terminals and most...