Ukraine’s president said unwelcome ‘speed restrictions’ on military connectivity are ‘helping the Russians kill’
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just taken to X to say that the Ukrainian army is once again experiencing “significant disruptions to Starshield’s operations over the territory of Ukraine .”
He said the problem has been going on “for several days now,” affecting operations “along the entire frontline and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.”
“Specifically, systematic speed restrictions are being imposed on Starshield, limiting it to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour). The Ukrainian military have already investigated the circumstances, and these are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions.”
Spelling out the real life consequences, Zelenskyy said the disruption complicates intercepting Russian jet-powered drones, with “strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time.”
“Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine. We are trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side.”
I am also keeping one eye on another bomb alert in Europe , this time at Calais-Fréthun station in northern France.
The station remains closed as the alert is getting “assessed,” local authorities said.
The disruption is having a knock on effect on French and international trains: Eurostar services to and from London are delayed as a result, with passengers warned about delays and potential further disruption .
“Due to a request for police assistance at Calais-Fréthun, your train is delayed. We’re waiting for more information and we’ll confirm your estimated delay as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience.”
I will let you know if and when we know more.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just taken to X to say that the Ukrainian army is once again experiencing “significant disruptions to Starshield’s operations over the territory of Ukraine .”
He said the problem has been going on “for several days now,” affecting operations “along the entire frontline and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.”
“Specifically, systematic speed restrictions are being imposed on Starshield, limiting it to 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour). The Ukrainian military have already investigated the circumstances, and these are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions.”
Spelling out the real life consequences, Zelenskyy said the disruption complicates intercepting Russian jet-powered drones, with “strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time.”
“Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine. We are trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side.”
Meanwhile, the EU is planning to approve new sanctions on Russia on Monday, France’s Europe minister Benjamin Haddad said.
“On Monday, we will take new sanctions against Russia, on 150 additional entities, 50 banks and it’s France which proposed the bulk of the entities to add,” Haddad told LCI television, as reported by Reuters.
“We will continue to put economic pressure on Russia and of course support Ukraine ,” he added.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Moscow this morning, where they are expected to meet Russia’s president Vladimir Putin to advance some of the issues discussed at trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi over the last two days.
The meeting is expected to get under way around 9am GMT, with Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Rybakov trying to manage everyone’s expectations by saying it was too early to say that necessary trust had been restored between Russia and Ukraine .
The US envoys are then expected to fly to Dublin to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the margins of the European Political Community summit, which is being attended by more than 40 leaders from Ukraine’s allied countries.
The EPC – set up on the initiative of France’s Emmanuel Macron – offers a rare chance to discuss key European issues with non-EU allies, including Britain’s Andy Burnham and Canada’s Mark Carney.
For Burnham, it’s also an opportunity to dot the i’s and cross the t’s ahead of next week’s EU-UK summit, which is a key part of his proposed reset in relationship with the bloc. Let’s see what we are going to hear on this today.
For Dublin, the meeting comes with a massive security operation , particularly after some past concerns about drones, particularly around Zelenskyy’s visit to Ireland last December.
I will keep an eye on both of these events and bring you all the latest here.
It’s Thursday, 12 November 2026 , it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live .
