Speed Limit of 160 km/h: Ukrainian Defenses Blind to Fast Attacks

Ukrainian military commanders can no longer track incoming missiles or drones traveling faster than 160 kilometres per hour.

Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on Friday in Istanbul that this loss of tracking capability is resulting in civilian deaths. He described the recent restrictions on Starshield access as having real human consequences.

Starshield is the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite network owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Ukraine uses the system to guide interceptor drones and monitor incoming threats. The commercial Starlink service handles internal communications for the country.

Ukrainian officials first reported the loss of partial access in early October. Responsibility for the cutoff remains disputed among U.S. parties. Reuters cited two U.S. officials who said the order originated in the White House. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Musk ordered the restriction personally.

Musk maintains that the U.S. government controls Starshield and that the U.S. military decides on access limits. He noted that commercial Starlink was not designed for military use. President Donald Trump denied ordering the curbs. On Friday, Trump said he did not know who made the decision and would not reveal it even if he did.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the operational gap. He stated that the inability to track projectiles above 160 km/h has complicated defense efforts against Russian attacks. He linked this technical limitation to recent civilian deaths, including children.

Carney pointed to a specific incident in central Kyiv that occurred within the previous 36 hours. He called the strike a direct hit on citizens with no military target, citing immense human suffering. He said it seems clear that recent deaths are direct casualties of the reduced tracking ability.

The status of the service remains unclear. Trump said on Thursday that Musk had restored access. Zelenskyy contradicted this in a CNN interview, stating the system still does not work. Ukrainian military officials confirmed on Friday that the restrictions remain in place. In an NBC interview, Zelenskyy said he believes the U.S. government sent a message to limit speed, which SpaceX then executed.

The restrictions coincide with a period of strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. Trump is pushing Ukraine to accept stronger concessions in a peace deal. He has also urged Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries, though Starshield is not used for those missions because the system does not operate over Russian territory.

Carney used the situation to argue for sovereign capabilities in Canada. He warned that relying on an ally that may change its view puts Canadians at risk. He said Canada is highly reliant on systems in certain countries and needs to diversify partnerships to build independent infrastructure.

Zelenskyy is moving to reduce Ukraine's dependence on U.S. technology. On Thursday, he signed a letter of intent with Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE. The agreement aims to develop a Ukrainian satellite communications network.