New Starlink speed restrictions affect Ukraine's anti-drone operations

Beskrestnov was commenting on Starshield disruptions previously reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Starlink's operating speed limit while in motion has been restricted again. Our relief was short-lived. So we're once again facing communication problems with helicopters chasing Shaheds and jet-powered interceptors that shoot down jet-powered Shaheds," Beskrestnov said.

He also suggested that U.S. officials would likely point to the terms of Ukraine's military service plan.

"But for several years, nobody was concerned about these terms," he stressed.

The presidential adviser added that any terms could be discussed and amended "instead of leaving our country without protection from aerial attacks."

Earlier on Nov. 12, Zelenskyy reported renewed disruptions to Starshield, SpaceX's military-grade satellite system, over Ukrainian territory.

He emphasized that the disruptions were significant and had been recorded for several days along the entire front line and in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory. According to Zelenskyy, Starshield is subject to systematic speed restrictions of 161 kilometers per hour (100 mph).

"For us, this primarily means that intercepting Russian jet-powered drones has become significantly more difficult. Unfortunately, there have already been successful strikes because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and fail to intercept the drones in time," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine had already faced Starlink access restrictions in October. At the time, U.S. officials and SpaceX founder Elon Musk offered conflicting explanations for the problems.

The Economist reported that Musk, the American billionaire and SpaceX chief, may have sought to punish Ukraine for its strikes on Russian oil refineries