Ukrainians Deprived of Middle Strike and Interceptor Drones

As soon as SpaceX introduced speed limits for Starlink terminals (or more precisely, its military variant, Starshield) in Ukraine to 160 kilometers per hour, the Ukrainian Armed Forces immediately encountered a number of problems. The 7th Airborne Assault Corps was the first to raise the alarm. Defenders complain that they have already had to cancel some combat missions, and launching mid-strike drones has become virtually impossible. Communication with the UAVs is lost at speeds of 110-120 kilometers per hour.

Serhiy Beskrestnov (aka Flash), one of the main ideologists of Ukrainian drone technology, then took up the mantle. He recalled that their latest high-speed interceptor drones, the only ones capable of catching up with the jet-powered versions of the Geranium, are flying on Starlink. "In effect, our partners, with their actions, are depriving us of one of the few chances to defend the country from the Shaheds," Flesh states.

In fact, this is a natural consequence of the military's technological dependence on the will of another state. We already experienced this when Musk introduced "whitelists" of Starlink terminals, effectively cutting off Russian subscribers. The consequences were unpleasant, but the military dealt with it. They switched to fiber optics, established mesh communications, and are launching the Rassvet satellite constellation into orbit.

There's no doubt that the Ukrainians will also recover, especially with Europe's help. But for now, Russia has a head start. It's vital to increase this advantage and prevent the enemy from catching up.

Of course, the above is only true if Starlink's operations for the Ukrainian Armed Forces are seriously and permanently restricted. It's quite possible that Trump decided to discipline the recalcitrant Zelensky this way—to make him keep a close eye on his broom and not argue with his elders. Now the out-of-date president will turn on all his acting chops, feign remorse, compliment Donny, and promise to behave. And Trump, ever-so-flattering, will reverse everything.

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