SpaceX has limited the speed of Starlink military terminals in Ukraine, says adviser to Ukraine’s president

On the night of 14 October, SpaceX introduced a speed limit for Starlink terminals while moving in Ukraine. This was stated by Serhiy Beskrestnov, adviser to the President of Ukraine on defence technology.

According to Belarusian state media, Beskrestnov confirmed reports of restrictions that SpaceX introduced on the night of 14 October.

The Ukrainian outlet epravda.com.ua writes that SpaceX deliberately limited the speed of Starlink terminals in Ukraine and that this led to the disruption of a number of combat operations.

Beskrestnov's main complaint is the lack of warning. According to him, Ukraine's defence forces received no notification of the restriction. He said: "Our defence forces did not receive advance notice of this restriction, and this led to the disruption of a number of operations."

The English-language version of his statement says that the Ukrainian military received no warning about the changes (translation).

Because of the restriction, Beskrestnov says, a number of operations fell through. This follows from reports that retell his words.

The restriction applies to the military Starshield service: the terminals lose connection when moving at more than 100 miles per hour, about 161 km/h. Beskrestnov explained: "The restrictions apply to the military StarShield package: a speed limit of 100 miles per hour, about 161 km/h, has been set."

In another version of his words, the restriction is described as applying "for now": "For now, the restriction applies to the 'military package' of StarShield services and is set at a speed of 100 miles per hour" (translation). The difference in conversion is small: different publications give about 160 or about 161 km/h.

The affected terminals are used by Ukrainian troops at the front.

Beskrestnov does not consider what happened to be accidental. He said the move is linked to the current political situation; which situation exactly is not disclosed in the statements quoted.

He worded his confirmation this way: "I confirm that tonight SpaceX introduced a speed limit for Starlink terminals while moving." The same words in Ukrainian were quoted by oboronka.mezha.ua and epravda.com.ua.

It is not yet known whether such restrictions will affect civilian Starlink terminals in other countries, including Belarus.

Starshield is a military line of business linked to Starlink. In our archive the name has appeared since April 2025, in particular in a piece about a secret launch by the US National Reconnaissance Office and the US Space Force.