Zelenskyy told reporters that exceeding the 161 km/h threshold in Ukraine "causes the Starlink connection to cut out completely, resulting in the loss of the drone." The speed cap has hobbled frontline logistics and prevented Ukrainian interceptor drones from shooting down fast moving Russian jet powered Shahed drones. While former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Wednesday that connectivity up to 160 km/h was being restored after earlier drops to 60 to 70 km/h, he noted that removing the speed limit on the military grade Starshield network entirely is critical for air defense.
The continued throttling follows conflicting accounts in Washington over who ordered the curbs as the US pressured Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X on Wednesday that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government and that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," while US President Donald Trump said Friday that neither he nor Musk was responsible. Four sources told The Telegraph that Musk originally proposed the slowdown to Trump, who agreed before the Pentagon carried it out.