Rubio: Ukraine Does Not Have 'Starshield' and Denies Restricting 'Starlink'

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Ukraine currently does not have access to the military "Starshield" network, and that Kyiv requested to use it to conduct long-range strikes inside Russia, according to the Kyiv Post citing the U.S. Department of State.

Rubio distinguished between commercial "Starlink" provided by SpaceX and "Starshield" developed under a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, stating that "Starlink is a commercial product, while Starshield is a military defense product used by U.S. forces and is not available to Ukraine at this moment."

Rubio denied that the Trump administration had ordered a reduction in the speed or bandwidth of "Starlink" in Ukraine, calling those reports "completely false," and confirming that the service slowdown "occurred on its own" and that it has returned to its previous level.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 17 that "Starlink" terminals in Ukraine were limited to a speed of 161 kilometers per hour and that connectivity cuts off above that speed, disrupting Ukrainian interceptor drones when confronting jet-powered "Shahed" drones that exceed speeds of 400 kilometers per hour.

What Do These Terms Mean?

Starshield: A military satellite network developed by SpaceX under a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, distinct from the commercial "Starlink" service.

Bandwidth: The amount of data that can be transmitted over a connection at one time, usually measured in bits per second.

Interceptor Drone: A drone used to intercept and destroy hostile drones in the air.

Jet "Shahed": A kamikaze drone powered by a jet engine that flies at high speed.