Ukrainian soldiers are expressing frustration and disappointment over the restrictions imposed on Starlink, a military internet service provided by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
What happened
A drone unit commander, known by his call sign Flint, reported that one of his drones suddenly lost connection during a mission, falling to the ground and aborting the operation. He believes the issue was related to the Starlink speed limit. Another drone pilot, Dovbush, said that the restrictions affect not only drone flights but also the unit's movements and survival chances.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the restrictions on Starlink were still in place, but the US had informed him that the service would be fully restored within 72 hours. The slowdown has impacted battlefield missions, with soldiers relying on Starlink for flying attack and reconnaissance drones.
The restrictions have also affected Ukraine's offensive operations, including Operation Vivaldi, which aimed to reclaim territory seized by Russia. Despite the challenges, Ukrainian officials claim that the operation has disrupted Russia's assault on key strongholds in the Donbas region.
