“For us, this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones,” Zelenskyy said.

"Connectivity issues have resurfaced," said Serhii Bezkrestnov, an advisor to Zelenskyy on defense technology, "specifically regarding communication with helicopters pursuing 'Shahed' drones, as well as with jet interceptors tasked with shooting down jet-powered 'Shaheds'."

A European official with first-hand knowledge of the situation, who was granted anonymity to discuss the matter freely, said the Starshield limits were first noticed three days ago, when negotiations between the U.S. and Russia began in Abu Dhabi. Ukrainian officials believe this is not a coincidence, but a pressure tactic, they added.

The U.S. Congress bipartisan Ukraine Caucus on Thursday demanded in a statement "a full accounting from the Trump Administration and SpaceX on how and why this occurred and immediate action to restore full access to Starshield."

U.S. President Donald Trump said last Sunday that he couldn't tell who slowed down Starlink for Ukraine for much of October, and wasn't even sure it had been throttled.