De Vector

Zelensky: Starlink restriction applies only to Ukraine

According to the president, comparative tests point to a geographically limited restriction on drone connections.

Follow-up to: Trump denies US responsibility for restrictions on Ukraine’s satellite connections Friday, 16 October 2026, 22:23

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine has tests showing that a speed limit for Starlink applies in Ukraine but not in EU countries. He says the remaining restriction makes intercepting fast Russian drones more difficult.

The new development is Zelensky’s statement about comparative tests, reported by Ukrainian media on Saturday. According to Kyiv Post, the connection continued working during a test in the European Union at a speed of movement of 180 kilometres per hour. A limit of around 161 kilometres per hour reportedly applies in Ukraine. The president sees this as an indication of a targeted restriction. The underlying measurement data are not available in the reporting consulted.

De Vector previously reported that Donald Trump denies American responsibility for the restrictions. There had already been reports in recent days of disrupted connections and partial restoration. Zelensky said on Friday that the previous capabilities had not yet been fully restored. His statement on Saturday adds the claimed geographical comparison; it does not in itself independently prove who imposed the restriction.

The stated maximum speed concerns the movement of a device using the satellite connection. It is therefore not a measure of internet download speed. That distinction matters for drones: a connection may be usable on the ground, while a fast-moving aircraft encounters a different usage restriction. According to Zelensky, this is currently happening with Ukrainian systems intended to intercept Russian drones.

The Kyiv Independent reports that the president describes the remaining limit as inadequate for intercepting Russian jet-powered drones. He also says that Ukraine uses other means against drones. The available sources therefore do not justify the conclusion that Ukraine’s entire air defence has failed. The issue concerns the operational availability of systems that depend on this connection to function.

There is still no clear, independently established picture of the cause and responsibility. According to a report published by NDTV on Saturday, Trump said that neither he nor Elon Musk was responsible for the loss of access. This contrasts with Zelensky’s description of a deliberate intervention. The difference between those statements is fundamental: the technical consequences and the decision that allegedly preceded them are separate questions.

A verifiable technical assessment requires more data than the two speeds mentioned. The reports consulted contain no full test report that could establish whether equipment, service provision and conditions were the same on both sides. It also remains unclear precisely which connections are available under which conditions. Both the test result and the military consequences are therefore explicitly attributed here to Zelensky.

The practical question for Ukraine, meanwhile, remains whether all the necessary connections are working again during military operations. A report of partial restoration does not answer that question for every system and every application. The new statement makes clear that Kyiv is still reporting restrictions, but provides insufficient grounds to identify a specific American agency or SpaceX as proven to be responsible.

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