Zelenskyy: 850 Shaheds came as Starlink limits hit defense

Russia launched more than 850 Shahed attack drones at Ukraine in roughly a day and a half, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Oct. 15, an onslaught that came as a new speed cap on SpaceX’s Starlink network curtailed the interceptor drones Ukraine uses to shoot them down.

Zelenskyy said the count covered the period from the start of Oct. 14 until 9 a.m. on Oct. 15. He said attacks came in constant waves and that Ukrainian airspace was not free of drones for a single hour. Russian strikes killed three people in Kropyvnytskyi and three more in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian media reported.

“From the start of yesterday until 9 a.m. today, there have already been more than 850 Shaheds, and this is precisely at a time of an artificial speed restriction on our defensive capabilities. Some of the Shaheds were shot down. But unfortunately, there were also dozens of hits,” Zelenskyy said, in remarks translated from Ukrainian.

The restriction he referred to took effect overnight on Oct. 13–14, when SpaceX capped Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukraine’s armed forces, at 160 km/h (about 100 mph) for terminals in motion. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said SpaceX imposed the limit unilaterally and without warning, and that any terminal moving faster than that loses its connection, disrupting interceptor and mid-range drone missions as well as frontline reconnaissance, logistics and signal relays.

Under the cap, the restriction falls most heavily on Ukraine’s air defense. Russia’s jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones can fly at up to 600 km/h (about 370 mph), so interceptors that must chase them down need far more speed than 160 km/h. Starlink has been blocked over Russian territory since February 2026 under a whitelist of approved terminals, and Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian targets rely on other communications. The capped terminals instead serve tactical drones and uncrewed ground vehicles operating over Ukraine and the occupied territories, which means the limit cuts into Ukraine’s defense.

Service was later restored below the 160 km/h threshold, and Mykhailo Fedorov said attack and interceptor drones should be able to fly again, while adding that Ukraine now needs the Starshield speed limit removed altogether.

Elon Musk said on X that the military version of Starlink is controlled by the U.S. military and, ultimately, the U.S. president, the Associated Press reported, while the White House told Kyiv it does not control SpaceX, according to Axios. Zelenskyy told the Financial Times on Oct. 15 that the restriction was a deliberate decision on the American side rather than a technical fault, though he said he did not know whether SpaceX or the U.S. government made the call.

Zelenskyy also accused Moscow of escalating its strikes after seeing sanctions eased and attempts to pressure Kyiv, and urged Americans to side with Ukraine’s defense instead of the aggressor.

The Defense Ministry said it is in contact with the United States, SpaceX and NATO partners and is setting up backup communication channels, but neither SpaceX nor the U.S. Department of War has said whether or when the 160 km/h cap will be lifted.