Rubio Says Ukraine Lacks Starshield for Strikes Inside Russia as White House Denies 161 km/h Starlink Cap
Updated
Updated · Kyiv Post · Oct 18
Rubio Says Ukraine Lacks Starshield for Strikes Inside Russia as White House Denies 161 km/h Starlink Cap
3 articles · Updated · Kyiv Post · Oct 18
Summary
Ukraine has no access to SpaceX’s military-grade Starshield network, Marco Rubio said, adding Kyiv requested it for deep-interdiction strikes inside Russia and the matter remains under discussion.
Rubio said reports of a White House-ordered slowdown were “categorically false,” distinguishing commercial Starlink from Pentagon-linked Starshield and saying Starlink service had already been restored.
161 km/h was the speed threshold Volodymyr Zelensky said cut Starlink connections on Ukrainian drone interceptors, preventing them from pursuing Russian Shahed drones flying above 400 km/h.
EU-side tests cited by Zelensky showed Starlink still worked at 180 km/h, reinforcing Kyiv’s claim that the restriction was specific to Ukrainian airspace.
The dispute sharpens a broader US-Ukraine clash over long-range strike limits and reliance on commercial satellite networks, with Rubio’s denial conflicting with Telegraph reporting that cited four sources.