Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has intensified his criticism of SpaceX, claiming that speed limits on its Starshield satellite terminals have serious political consequences and weaken Ukraine’s air defenses. Zelenskiy noted that these terminals, used in Russian-occupied areas, have been restricted to a maximum speed of 161 kph for the last five days, affecting military operations.
He stated that the Ukrainian Defence Ministry has formally raised concerns about this with SpaceX. Zelenskiy expressed skepticism about SpaceX’s explanation of a technical issue, arguing that such restrictions imply recognition of occupied territories as non-Ukrainian. He emphasized the need to lift the speed limits to reinforce military capabilities.
Zelenskiy pointed out that these restrictions hinder air defense efforts against Russian drones, leaving Ukrainian cities at a higher risk. He has tasked senior military and foreign ministry officials with addressing this issue. In response, SpaceX has denied implementing any new restrictions or changes to its services. This situation follows a similar outage in mid-October, when speed limits were also imposed.
With information from Reuters
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