Ukraine says Starshield disrupted as US envoys reach Moscow for Putin talks

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had recorded systematic disruptions to SpaceX’s Starshield satellite service for several days across the front line and occupied areas. He said terminals moving faster than about 161 kilometers per hour were being disconnected, limiting Ukraine’s ability to intercept fast Russian jet-powered drones; he blamed the restrictions for strikes that Ukrainian defenses could not stop in time. Kyiv said it was investigating the cause with U.S. officials. The claims revive a dispute from October, when similar speed limits temporarily disrupted Ukrainian drone operations before service returned to previous speeds. Accounts of who imposed the limits have conflicted: reports attributed the decision to Elon Musk, while Musk said Starshield is controlled by the U.S. government and later argued that Ukraine had breached Starlink’s terms of service, a claim Kyiv disputes.

The reported disruptions coincided with renewed U.S.-led diplomacy. After talks among Ukrainian, Russian and American negotiators in Abu Dhabi ended without a major breakthrough on a ceasefire or territorial settlement, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. They were also expected to meet Zelenskyy later at a summit in Ireland. The juxtaposition underscores Ukraine’s dependence on satellite communications for battlefield operations even as Washington pursues negotiations over a lasting resolution to Russia’s invasion.