SpaceX limits military Starlink speed without warning Defense Forces – Presidential Advisor Beskrestnov
Photo from open sources
Speed restrictions imposed on Starlink terminals may have disrupted combat missions for the Ukrainian military. Satellite connectivity began to drop when vehicles exceeded 160 km/h, and the Defense Forces received no advance warning of changes to the equipment's operating conditions.
According to Rubryka, volunteer Serhii Sternenko and Presidential Advisor on Technological Issues Serhii Beskrestnov (Flash) reported the issue.
According to Beskrestnov, SpaceX introduced the changes on the night of October 14. The restrictions target the military-grade StarShield package, limiting terminal functionality when moving at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour (approximately 160 km/h).
"Our Defense Forces received no warning about such a restriction, leading to the disruption of several missions. Obviously, this action cannot be a coincidence and relates to the current political situation," Flash wrote.
Sternenko first reported the outages, noting that losing connectivity during high-speed movement disrupted several missions for Ukrainian defenders. Meanwhile, standard civilian satellite terminals continue operating normally, according to his data.
Flash subsequently confirmed the information, reiterating that the 100-mile-per-hour speed cap applies specifically to the StarShield "military package."
"I confirm that SpaceX introduced speed limits on Starlink terminals in motion overnight," the post reads.
It is worth noting that US lawmakers visiting Kyiv on October 9 advocated expanding Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite system capabilities. In their view, doing so would increase pressure on Russia, strengthen Ukraine's positions on the front lines, and create additional leverage in future peace negotiations.
Specifically, Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw stated that he personally supports efforts to convince SpaceX owner Elon Musk to expand Starlink capabilities for Ukraine.
Background
Back in 2022, SpaceX founder Elon Musk agreed to a request from then-Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and satellite internet access. On April 27, 2022, Starlink Ukraine officially registered as a local representative office of SpaceX.
Starlink is a SpaceX project providing broadband internet access via a satellite constellation, delivering speeds up to 1 Gbps per subscriber anywhere on Earth.
In early 2026, Musk agreed to the Ukrainian authorities' requests to restrict Starlink's use by Russian military forces. Following this agreement, Ukraine began using only verified terminals included on a designated "white list."
According to Ukrainian officials, terminal verification involves confirming ownership and deployment details to prevent terminals linked to Russian forces from operating within Ukrainian territory.
