UKRAINE, Oct. 14 — Today, a heavy drone unit that provides Ukrainian infantry with supplies and ammunition had an additional complication to their job: figure out how to get the package to the soldiers fast without getting stuck in the air due to violating a speed cap at 100 miles per hour, imposed by SpaceX — or the USA’s administration — on their Starlink terminals.
Before the restriction was imposed, we could reach farther distances faster, a drone pilot from the unit anonymously told Gwara’s journalists.
“It’s good that we have an additional radio connection,” he said. “I can’t imagine how fucked the people on interceptors for jet-powered Shaheds.”
“Can’t be coincidental”
Restrictions on StarShield, a militarized sibling-satellite of Starlink that, according to Elon Musk, is “operated by the US government,” were first reported today by Serhii Sternenko, former advisor to the Minister of Defense and a volunteer, then confirmed by Serhii Flash Beskrestnov, EW expert and defense advisor to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The connection with drones equipped with Starlink terminals, both wrote, started to disappear during the movement at the speed above 160 km/hour (~99 mph) — though Sternenko later added that, in some cases, the connection at the speed of 60-70 km/hour (~37-43 mph) was also disappearing.
Both suggested the restrictions are politically motivated. “Our defense forces didn’t get any warnings about that limit, and that led to several missions being disrupted. Obviously, actions like that can’t be coincidental and are connected to a current political situation,” Flash wrote.
Trump demanded Kyiv stop the strikes on Russia’s oil refineries; returned Russian diesel to the US and worldwide markets; and announced a refinery ceasefire that was perceived as one-sided by many in Ukraine, seeing as Ukraine has only one refinery that’s already damaged by Russian attack, and Russia keeps attacking the energy and civilian infrastructure across the country.
Ukrainska Pravda’s sources in the Ministry of Defense told them they’re speaking to SpaceX, the USA, and NATO about the Starshield disruption — after confirming the imposed speed restriction at 100 mph.
How drone units reacted to StarShield restrictions
As a commander of the UAV unit of the 127th brigade that works in Kharkiv oblast explained to Gwara, units that conducted middle-strike attacks and used Starlink on their drones had to get a special license from StarShield.
He said that, while the restriction didn’t affect his unit for now, his colleagues have been more cautious about accelerating the drones. “If the drone has the capacity to ‘survive’ the sudden lack of connection — it either stays in the air or continues moving in the pre-defined direction, at the same speed — then, connection reappears. But, since last night, everyone works more carefully,” he said.
The 7th air assault corps observed the connection disappearing for 10-20 seconds at a speed of 110-120 km/hour (mph). “Drones kept moving, but the disruptions complicated the piloting,” they said in the Telegram post they later deleted.
Middle Strike drones, they wrote, accelerate quite fast to a high speed after launch, so an unstable connection will make launching these drones impossible. Because of that, they said, one of their units on the Huliaipole axis had to cancel their missions.
Gwara’s source in the assault unit working in Kharkiv oblast and conducting middle strikes, called the restrictions “unpleasant, but not critical.”
“We have a plan of action, even for the case when the Starlinks don’t work at all. It’s just that during missions themselves, when the drone is in the sky already, we just have to adjust a little, and that’s it. We always have alternatives.”
Head of communication for the 14th Army Corps, Vitalii Sarantsev, said that the brigades didn’t experience “significant difficulties” during their work in Kharkiv Oblast. Neither their drones nor their communication devices accelerate to the speed limit imposed by the restrictions.
In case of possible disruptions of satellite connection, Sarantsev added, the corps has alternative technologies. “We all see that Ukraine is looking for backup opportunities, developers, other partnerships, and adapts to possible scenarios to minimize critical dependency on the technology of a single private actor,” he said.
Impact on interceptor drones
“Starlink is used in our most efficient solution, an interceptor drone, that protects our sky from jet-powered Shaheds. Partners’ actions practically deprive us of one of the few chances to defend the country from jet-powered Shaheds,” Serhii Beskrestnov wrote.
Russian modified jet-powered drones have become a source of terror for many Ukrainian cities, and Ukraine still struggles to scale the production of interceptors that can counter them efficiently.
As of this article’s publication, it’s unknown exactly how much StarShield limits affected air defense units’ work countering jet-powered drones.
Connection is “being restored “
In the evening, Ukraine’s former minister of defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, wrote that Starlink started working at a speed of up to 160 km/hour. “Attack drones and interceptor drones should start flying again.”
“Now, we have to work to completely remove speed restrictions for Starshield,” he wrote.
A lieutenant from the Defense Forces with a call sign “Alex” wrote in his Telegram channel: even if the restrictions are removed, it won’t resolve the issue completely. “Trump will pull that string again.”
Gwara asked a source in the assault regiment if the speed limit on StarShield had really returned to its previous state. He said he observed no improvements.
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