Arabic version: أوكرانيا تبلغ عن اضطرابات في «ستارشيلد» على امتداد خط الجبهة

According to ABC News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said military units had recorded significant disruptions to the Starshield satellite communications service for several days, affecting the entire front line and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. Starshield is the military version of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink satellite communications service.

In a Telegram post, Mr Zelenskyy said systemic restrictions had limited Starshield’s usable speed to 161 kilometres per hour. He said the restriction meant Ukrainian interceptors could not reach sufficient speed to down Russian jet-powered drones, and that some hits had already occurred.

“This helps Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes on Ukraine,” Mr Zelenskyy said. Ukraine was seeking clarification from the US side, he said. A Ukrainian official said the disruptions were not mentioned during US-brokered talks earlier in the week in Abu Dhabi and that it was unclear who had made the decision.

Mr Zelenskyy’s comments came as US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks aimed at ending the conflict. Ukrainian officials said in mid-October that SpaceX had abruptly capped the speed of Starlink and Starshield, affecting drones and other equipment travelling faster than about 160 kilometres per hour. Service was restored on October 24.

Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the commission would present a new sanctions package against Russia and proposals on Ukraine-related financial measures before the European Council’s special summit on November 26-27. The planned package would be the European Union’s 22nd against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.