U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with C-SPAN that Ukraine does not have access to Starshield, the military version of the Starlink satellite communications system.
Rubio drew a distinction between the two services, describing Starlink as a commercial product and Starshield as a defense and military system that is currently unavailable to Ukraine.
He also said the White House had issued no order to limit Starlink speeds in Ukraine and denied that the U.S. administration was responsible for the restrictions. According to Rubio, Starlink remains one of the key communications channels used by the Ukrainian military, including for drone control.
Complaints about the system began coming from Ukrainian military command on the night of October 14. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Starlink terminals were losing connection with drones traveling at speeds above 160 kilometers per hour.
Elon Musk had earlier said that Starshield is controlled by the U.S. government, which makes decisions on restrictions governing its use. Starlink, by contrast, remains a commercial system intended for civilian and defensive purposes and, according to Musk, should not be used for offensive military operations.