Watch: What we know about Russia’s nighttime strikes against Ukraine
New restrictions on the speed at which some Ukrainian weapons can travel while remaining connected to the Starlink internet network have disrupted Ukrainian “missions” on the battlefield, the president’s adviser Volodymyr Zelensky has warned.
Serhiy Beskrestnov said Ukraine had not been informed of speed limits set overnight at 100 mph (160 km/h) by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.
Starlink is an essential tool for kyiv to effectively guide drones towards Russian targets and also protect Ukrainian skies.
Beskrestnov said SpaceX’s decision “cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation.” The firm did not comment.
In a post on Telegram on Wednesday, Beskrestnov said SpaceX had “implemented a speed limit on Starlink terminals overnight,” which had already resulted in “the disruption of a number of missions.”
It comes as at least 600,000 people across Ukraine were left without power after deadly Russian missile and drone strikes, Zelensky said.
He said “critical” energy infrastructure had been hit in kyiv and the capital region, as well as the northeastern city of Kharkiv, despite US President Donald Trump’s claims on Sunday that an “energy ceasefire” was in place between Russia and Ukraine.
Three people were killed in Kyiv, local officials said. Russia said its “massive” strikes hit communications and energy facilities used by the Ukrainian military.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
In the follow-up message, Zelensky’s adviser emphasized that Starlink was the most effective tool for enabling interceptors to shoot down Russia’s newly developed jet drones.
The Starlink system has become a key tool in providing Internet access to Ukrainian troops (Reuters)
A Ukrainian Defense Ministry source later told the BBC: “Last night we detected restrictions affecting Starlink connectivity at speeds above 160 km/h. The source added that the “root cause” of the problem was being investigated.
Defense Ministry sources later explained that “as soon as a vehicle or asset exceeds this threshold speed (160 km/h), the terminal loses its connection.”
They told the BBC that this made it more difficult to conduct drone operations, “particularly interceptors and mid-strike drones”, and also degraded “frontline logistics, reconnaissance and signal relay capabilities”.
In February, Musk’s decision to deny Russian forces access to Starlink slowed Moscow’s advance in Ukraine and sowed confusion among Russian commanders.
Musk’s SpaceX has not commented on the reported speed restrictions.
Zelensky said the United States had threatened to restrict intelligence sharing if he did not sign Trump’s energy ceasefire. Trump denied Tuesday that Washington was withholding intelligence.
Overnight, Russia launched 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and 128 drones, and four of those missiles and 115 drones were shot down, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
This is the second night in a row that kyiv has been hit by Russian missiles, and it comes as Zelensky prepares to meet British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Downing Street on Wednesday to discuss ramping up air defense supplies to kyiv.
Over the past two nights, ballistic missiles have struck targets in the Ukrainian capital without any warning, before air raid sirens could sound.
Ukraine relies on U.S. satellite systems to track Russian missiles to issue warnings and attempt to shoot them down.
People watched emergency services at work at strike sites in Ukraine (Getty Images)
Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry said 902 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over several Russian regions, including the capital Moscow and Crimea, Ukraine’s southern peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
On Sunday, Trump wrote in a social media post: “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides agree. Don’t break it!”
Zelensky has since repeatedly said that Ukraine is ready to end its strikes on Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities if Moscow does the same.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine did not deserve the “respite” that a ceasefire would bring. Under a truce, he added, Europe would be able to “equip (Ukraine) with new weapons,” which would allow it to continue the war.
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