Ukraine still unable to intercept Russian drones due to Starlink restrictions, Zelenskyy says

October 17, 2026 / 11:14 AM EDT / CBS News

Ukraine is still unable to use its interceptor systems against Russian drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, because of speed restrictions imposed on Starshield, an upgraded military version of Elon Musk's Starlink, amid an ongoing row with President Trump.

"Unfortunately, we can't use Starlink or Starshield technology on our territory today to shoot down jet-powered Shaheds," Zelenskyy said in an online group chat with reporters at the EU Summit. "They fly, and we can stop them with aircraft and other air defense, but we don't use Starlink for that, unfortunately. God willing, this will be restored."

Zelenskyy said Kyiv was discussing the issue with U.S. officials, and he was told the restrictions were linked to technical issues. The Ukrainian president added, however, that Starlink appears to be operating at higher speeds on European Union territory.

"Yes, we are in dialogue at the level of the military, the Ministry of Defense and diplomats, in touch with everyone including SpaceX. Nobody there is answering our military or the Ministry of Defense now," Zelenskyy said. "At various levels they say these are technical problems."

"Here (in Ukraine) Starlink works up to a…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/