Russia-Ukraine War: Kiev Faces Bitter Winter Amid Continued Starlink Restrictions, Patriot Missile Stockpile Depletion | Today’s news
In a war that has dragged on for well over four years, Ukraine is struggling to maintain its air defenses against Russian attacks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (local time) that speed restrictions on Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service, continue to hinder Ukraine’s interception of Russian drones. His remarks came days after he first raised concerns about the restrictions.
The disruption comes as Ukraine faces another critical air defense shortfall. According to CNN, Kyiv has run out of missiles for its American Patriot air defense systems, making it more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks.
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Starlink restrictions continue, Zelenskyy says
Elaborating on the restrictions in an online group chat with reporters at the EU summit on Saturday, Zelenskyy said: “Unfortunately, today on our territory we cannot use Starlink or Starshield technology to shoot down jet-powered Shaheds.” He added, “They fly and we can stop them with aircraft and other air defenses, but unfortunately we don’t use Starlink for that. God willing, it will be restored.”
The Ukrainian president noted that Kiev had been in talks with US officials, who attributed the restrictions to technical problems. He further noted that Starlink appears to be operating at a higher speed within the European Union, CBS News reported. He said: “Yes, we are in dialogue at the level of the military, the Ministry of Defense and the diplomats, we are in contact with everyone, including SpaceX. Nobody there now answers to our military or the Ministry of Defense,” adding: “They say at various levels that it is technical problems.”
He said that in Ukraine, Starlink was operating at speeds of up to 161 km/h before being shut down. In contrast, he added, in the European Union it operates continuously at speeds exceeding 180 km/h.
Read also | A presidential aide said Ukraine is in talks to lift speed limits on the military’s satellite network
On Saturday (local time), Zelensky noted that Moscow had launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy sector, targeting more than 15 critical power generation and transmission facilities across the country.
The US denies responsibility for limiting satellites
Following Zelensky’s remarks about speed limits, SpaceX owner Elon Musk denied responsibility, saying “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any speed limits or use are decided by the US military and ultimately by POTUS.”
US President Donald Trump said: “Well, I don’t know if it was somebody because it wasn’t me and I don’t think it was Elon.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has separately denied claims that the US government had any role in the outage. Rubio further claimed that the Ukrainian military never had access to Starshield and only used Starlink.
Kiev has run out of Patriot missiles
In addition to restrictions on its anti-missile aircraft, Ukraine also faces a shortage of missiles needed to counter Russian ballistic attacks.
According to reports, Ukraine’s president has repeatedly warned for months that the country is running out of Patriot anti-missile missiles, one of the few defense weapons capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. The high cost of anti-missile missiles and limited global supplies have compounded the shortage, with other countries either depleting their stockpiles or building up their air defenses amid the Iran war.
Read also | Ukraine seeks more allies after Patriot missiles after US backs down
A CNN source said “almost all ballistic missiles from the latest strike were not intercepted due to a lack of (interceptor) missiles.”
The setbacks come amid growing tensions between Zelensky and the US president over Washington’s approach to Russia and its support for Ukraine. Earlier this month, the US president launched a scathing attack on Zelensky, accusing him of attacking Russia’s energy infrastructure and wanting a peace deal without trying to secure one. He also called on Ukrainians to appoint a new president.
The Trump administration has also warned Ukraine and its European allies that Washington is likely to suspend European purchases of US arms for Kiev and intelligence sharing with Ukraine if Kiev does not stop strikes on Russian energy facilities.
With Kiev running out of Patriot fighter jets, facing limited access to Starlink and Starshield, and navigating strained relations with Trump, it remains to be seen how the country’s future will play out.
