U.S. Restricts Starlink Use on Ukrainian Drones

On the night of 14 October, SpaceX restricted Starlink terminal speeds while in motion, affecting Ukrainian strike drones targeting Russian forces.

Volunteer Serhiy Sternenko and Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, an advisor to the President of Ukraine on defense technologies, reported this. The Ukrainian Defense Forces confirmed this information to Militarnyi.

“The connection started dropping out when moving at speeds above 160 km/h. As a result, several important missions were disrupted,” he wrote.

Sternenko suggested SpaceX likely took these measures at the request of the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

Meanwhile, regular satellite communication terminals are currently operating without any issues.

Serhii ‘Flash’ Beskrestnov, adviser to the President of Ukraine on defense technology, later also confirmed restrictions on operating American satellite internet terminals.

According to him, the restrictions apply to StarShield, Starlink’s military service package. Terminal speeds have been limited to 100 miles per hour (approximately 161 km/h).

“I confirm that SpaceX introduced speed restrictions for Starlink terminals while in motion last night,” Beskrestnov wrote.

He noted that Ukraine’s Defense Forces were not warned about the restriction, which disrupted several missions.

This is likely part of the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration’s pressure on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Ukrainian forces use Starlink satellite terminals on drones to maintain long-distance communication with operators.

The system enables real-time video transmission from the drone, provides mission progress data, and allows its flight to be controlled remotely. This expands the capabilities of drones for reconnaissance, surveillance, and strikes against targets in temporarily occupied territory. The use of Starlink also makes it more difficult for Russian electronic warfare systems to counter Ukrainian drones.