Zelensky said the military examined the circumstances and concluded the disruptions were not random errors but a systemic restriction. "For us, this is primarily about significantly complicating the interception of Russian jet-powered drones," the Ukrainian president wrote.
He said there have already been cases of targets being hit because interceptor systems could not reach sufficient speed and failed to shoot the drones down in time. Zelensky said this "helps Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more precision strikes on Ukraine."
Ukraine has contacted the United States to establish the reasons for the restrictions.
The previous round of disruptions began around October 14, shortly after Donald Trump reported a "very successful" conversation with Vladimir Putin and an agreement on supplies of Russian diesel fuel to world markets. After the call, Trump said it was time for Ukraine to "get a new leader" who could make a deal. Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, which owns Starlink and Starshield, endorsed those words.
Musk later said the Starshield system is run by the US government and that "it is up to them to decide what to do with it." On October 24, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara reported that Starlink and Starshield had been restored to operation at speeds above 400 km/h.
The Insider, citing Reuters, reported that the order to restrict Starshield's operation in October came from the White House. In the same period Washington was pressing Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian oil refining facilities. An "energy truce" was established for a time, but strikes resumed at the end of the month. Trump denied that he or Musk had imposed restrictions. The Pentagon declined to conduct an investigation.