All Starshield drone missions in Ukraine failing as 161 kph cap returns, Axios reports

All affected Starshield drone missions in Ukraine are failing, an unnamed Ukrainian official told Axios on Thursday, Nov. 12, as a 161 kph (100 mph) speed cap returned across Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine's defence ministry says its specialists are recording the limit across all Russian-occupied areas, with no restrictions detected in Ukrainian-controlled territory.

The cap matters because Ukrainian interceptor drones must maintain satellite communications while pursuing Russian jet-powered Shahed drones. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the restriction prevents those interceptions along the front line and in occupied areas.

"Because of the speed restrictions, we simply cannot catch up with them in time," Zelensky said in an address to the European Political Community summit in Dublin on Thursday.

Zelensky said on Friday he had instructed Ukraine's foreign and defence ministries to intensify contacts with the US State Department, the Pentagon and SpaceX, and that clear explanations were still lacking. The ministry has also been seeking clarification from the US Department of Defense.

SpaceX disputes the Ukrainian account. "This is false. There has been no change," the company's media relations department told Ars Technica on Nov. 12. SpaceX describes Starshield as a system for government and national security customers, built using Starlink technology and the company's launch capabilities, with stated functions including secure communications and Earth observation.

The dispute repeats an episode that began on Oct. 14, when Ukrainian defence ministry sources reported unexpected restrictions affecting military satellite connections, with no advance warning given to Kyiv. By Oct. 23, officials were still recording connectivity losses at 161 kph; on Oct. 24, defence specialists confirmed terminals were again functioning above that threshold, and Zelensky announced that Starlink and Starshield operations had returned to pre-restriction speeds.

US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis said in a joint statement on Nov. 12 that the reported restrictions were undermining Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian drones and endangering Ukrainian civilians, and pledged further congressional oversight. The two had already led a bipartisan request for a Pentagon inspector general investigation following the October disruptions; that office declined to open an investigation, though a spokesperson left open the possibility of reconsidering if new information emerged.

Zelensky discussed the disruptions with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Nov. 12, alongside Ukraine's need for additional air defence missiles. The presidential readout said Russia had launched 115 missiles of various types during the first week of November.

Denys Sienik, Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in the United States, told reporters on Nov. 5 that the existing Starshield contract would expire around mid-2027 and that negotiations needed to begin well in advance. Speaking before the latest reported disruptions, he said Kyiv was examining alternatives and backup systems, including Ukrainian capabilities and European projects, but that there was currently no effective alternative to the low-Earth-orbit satellite service.