Zelensky Blames Starshield Speed Limits as Russian Drones Hit Ukraine's Power Grid

"The Russians are targeting substations with 'shaheds,'" Zelensky wrote on X. "And many of these strikes are getting through because restrictions on the speed of Starshield terminals along the front line and in the temporarily occupied territories are still there."

Zelensky warned that the limits on the system, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, could weaken defences around Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter, when Moscow has repeatedly targeted the grid. He said Ukraine's interceptor drones lose contact with their operators when they fly faster than 161 kph (100 mph) along the front line and over Russian-occupied territory, which leaves them unable to catch the Shaheds, Arab News reported.

"We are counting on these restrictions to be lifted," he wrote. "The protection of lives and Ukrainian energy infrastructure before winter depends on this." He said the foreign and defence ministries and the President's Office had been told to work closely with the American side and SpaceX.

On Saturday, Zelensky questioned whether the problem was technical. He said the restrictions appeared to have been imposed by SpaceX, despite earlier assurances from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Starshield was more under US government control. He also said the restrictions had been in place for five days and that Starlink had reported technical problems, but Ukraine does "not believe that is the case". Starlink has denied restricting internet speeds, and Musk said last month that the US government controls Starshield. Al Jazeera said it was the second such outage in recent weeks.

The southeastern Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions were hit hardest, Zelensky said, and repairs to the grid and individual substations are under way. "There have been many outages, and restoration is proceeding," he said.

In Chornomorsk, a port city in the Odesa region, a strike on a facility run by DTEK Odesa Electric Networks injured six people and temporarily cut power to about 41,000 customers, regional head Oleh Kiper said. Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 2,300 drones, 1,590 guided aerial bombs and 15 missiles at Ukraine over the past week.

US negotiators have concluded visits to both countries in recent days in an effort to secure a ceasefire. Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to meet President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen this week, but Ukraine is not on the agenda.