Why is Starlink internet so important on the battlefield in Ukraine?
It is the "backbone of military communications in Ukraine" that provides vital high-speed internet to forces across the country.
Key points
- SpaceX imposed a 100mph (160km/h) speed limit on Starlink-connected drones overnight on Tuesday, disrupting Ukrainian battlefield missions.
- Ukrainian official Serhiy Beskrestnov said Kyiv was not informed of the restriction, which the ISW says makes intercepting jet-powered Russian Shahed drones nearly impossible.
- Elon Musk said Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government while Starlink is a commercial service limited to civilian or defensive activities.
SpaceX has imposed a speed restriction on drones connected to its Starlink satellite network, disrupting Ukrainian battlefield operations. The 100mph (160km/h) limit was set overnight on Tuesday by Elon Musk's company, according to a top Ukrainian official.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Zelensky, said officials had not been told about the restriction. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said throttling drones at that relatively low speed makes Ukrainian efforts to intercept jet-powered Russian drones all but useless.
Why Starlink matters
Ukraine uses Starlink as a vital battlefield communications tool and in drone warfare. The network lets Ukrainian drones keep stronger connections with operators over longer distances than conventional radio networks and makes them less vulnerable to jamming.
George Barros, the ISW's Director of Innovation and Open Source Tradecraft, told the BBC that Starlink is "the backbone of military communications in Ukraine" and is used across Kyiv's naval, land and air forces. He said the technology allows drones, artillery and command posts to function as a single real-time network.
Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.
— Elon Musk
Shahed interceptors affected
Starlink-enabled interceptors are among Ukraine's most effective solutions against jet-powered Russian Shahed drones, Barros said. Shaheds fly at speeds above 198mph, meaning the 100mph restriction makes Ukrainian efforts to chase them down all but impossible.
Tom Whittington, an electronic warfare expert and associate fellow at RUSI, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that the satellite system lets Ukraine move large amounts of data without the infrastructure phones need. He said the speed restrictions "effectively preclude" anything connected to the network going above 100mph.
Musk and Starshield
Beskrestnov said he believes the restrictions are not a coincidence and are related to the latest strains between Kyiv and Washington. President Trump has criticised Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries and called for a new leader, criticisms echoed by Musk.
Musk said Starshield, a military-grade version of the network developed for the Pentagon, is separate from Starlink but in many cases they share the same underlying satellite technology. In a post on X, he wrote that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, while Starlink is a commercial service limited to civilian or defensive activities.
