Zelensky Says Starlink Speed Limits Hamper Ukraine’s Drone Defense

Interceptors losing contact

Zelensky said Ukraine is struggling to stop Russian jet-powered drones aimed at electricity substations. He blamed restrictions on Starshield terminals along the front line and in occupied territory.

"Our interceptor drones lose connection with their operators at a speed of 161km/h (100mph) and simply cannot catch up with Russian jet-powered 'shaheds'," he posted. The term refers to drones based on an Iranian design.

On Friday, November 13, Zelensky said the roughly 100mph limits had been enforced since Monday, but only in Russian-occupied areas rather than across the whole of Ukraine. He said that carries political weight: "If you impose restrictions there, you are already partially recognising the temporary occupied territories as not ours."

He said he had asked officials "to work as closely as possible" with the US government and Musk's company. "It is important to be on the right side of history," he said.

A dispute dating to October

The speed problem was first identified in October and produced conflicting accounts. Musk said the US government was responsible because it controls Starshield. US President Donald Trump denied that and said he had told Musk to "put it back".

Service appeared to return to normal after a week. Ukraine later said the restrictions were still being applied.

The connection problems coincided with a tense stand-off between Zelensky and Trump over Ukrainian strikes on oil infrastructure inside Russia. Trump said strikes on Russian refineries, which Kyiv says are crucial to cutting Moscow's main revenue source, had pushed global oil prices higher.

Ukraine also faces a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors, which defend against Russian missiles. Russia has exploited the gap to step up its attacks.

Overnight strikes

Ukraine said Russia hit energy infrastructure overnight and into Sunday morning in Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odesa, Zhytomyr and Kirovohrad regions. Railway infrastructure was also struck in the Dnipro, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. Scores of people were reported hurt.

Two people were killed in an attack on an infrastructure facility in Mena, in Chernihiv Region, governor Vyacheslav Chaus said.

Ukraine's military said its forces struck a petrochemical plant and an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, in Russia's Tatarstan region, on the night of November 15. Taganrog governor Yuri Slyusar said Ukrainian strikes killed one person in the port city.