'Gratitude is not submission': Ukraine's drone commander Madyar criticizes pressure from partners
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Commander of the SBS of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Madyar, pointed out the unacceptability of pressure on Ukraine from partners (Photo: Madyar / Telegram)
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi criticized partners for using Kyiv's dependence on their support to influence the war, stressing that gratitude for assistance does not mean submission.
On Oct. 18, Madyar said he "should have kept quiet, but this is troubling and infuriating."
"After all, gratitude and reciprocation are not the same as submission," he stressed.
The commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said attempts by partners to control the scale of Ukraine's military operations and use Kyiv's dependence on their support as leverage were harmful because they undermined the clear principles of partnership.
"When a partner demonstrates its ability to manually, quite literally, calibrate things along the lines of 'from now on, we control, if not your war itself, then how deep into enemy territory you can take it,' because you 'can't read the room' (an English idiom meaning to understand a situation and the mood of those present — ed.), the damage goes beyond the threat itself. It comes from the betrayal of the framework within which you operate. A clear framework in which black is unmistakably black and white is white," Madyar wrote.
He also stressed that Ukraine has "nowhere to retreat."
The Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces commander emphasized that choosing between two unacceptable options would not solve the problem, "and an ellipsis merely legitimizes the lack of a conclusion."
Starlink restrictions in Ukraine
On the morning of Oct. 14, reports emerged of Starlink speed restrictions that had disrupted several important military missions. The restrictions affect the Starshield service used by the Ukrainian military.
Military personnel and experts reported communication disruptions and a possible impact on interceptor drone operations. A source in Ukraine's Defense Ministry later confirmed to NV that connectivity was restricted at speeds exceeding 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph).
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and called the Starlink slowdown a "big mistake."
On Oct. 14, Musk said the speed restrictions on the military Starshield service were controlled by the U.S. government, not his company.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had not made the decision regarding Starlink services for Ukraine. However, The Telegraph reported that Musk had personally proposed the restrictions.
On Oct. 17, Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy known by the call sign Flash, said Ukraine was holding talks with SpaceX, the Pentagon and the U.S. government to lift the speed restrictions on the Starshield satellite communications system, which affect Ukrainian drone operations. He said Kyiv had still received no explanation for why the restrictions were introduced now.
Also on Oct. 17, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the Starshield "military package" for Starlink satellite terminals was currently unavailable in Ukraine.
"I know Ukraine wants access to Starshield. The Ukrainians have requested access so they can carry out long-range strikes deep inside Russia. They currently do not have access to this system," Rubio said.
The communications disruptions coincided with pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
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