Carney: 160 km/h Cap on Satellite Tracking Costs Ukraine Lives
The Canadian prime minister linked civilian deaths in Kyiv to the loss of Starshield access, a decision he said was made by a group acting against a nation under attack.
By Thiago Kovalenko ·
Ukrainian officials lost the ability to track aerial threats moving faster than 160 kilometres per hour after restrictions were placed on their access to Starshield. Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on Friday that this specific speed limit is directly costing lives.
Carney spoke in Istanbul on Friday regarding the curbs on the military-grade satellite network. He described the decision to limit access as one made by a group of people against a country fighting for its citizens' lives against naked aggression. He expressed concern over the judgment of those who authorized the move.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported early last week that the country lost partial access to Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink system. Ukraine uses this network to track incoming missiles and jet-powered drones and to guide interceptor and spy drones. Starlink, the commercial version, handles internal communications.
Zelenskyy said the restrictions began when the network stopped tracking objects exceeding 160 km/h. This gap has complicated efforts to repel Russian attacks, resulting in civilian deaths, including children. Carney agreed with this assessment, noting that some recent deaths are direct casualties of the reduced tracking ability. He cited an attack in central Kyiv within the previous 36 hours as a direct strike on citizens with no military target.
Responsibility for the restriction remains disputed. Reuters reported last week that the order came from inside the White House, citing two U.S. officials. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Elon Musk ordered the restriction personally. Musk has stated that Starshield is owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that the U.S. military decides on restrictions. President Donald Trump denied ordering the curbs and said on Friday that he does not know who did.
Trump told reporters on Thursday that Musk had restored Ukraine's access to the network. Zelenskyy contradicted this in a CNN interview, stating that the system still does not work. Ukrainian military officials confirmed on Friday that the restrictions remain in place. In an NBC interview on Sunday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian leaders believe the American government sent a message to limit speed, which SpaceX then executed technically.
The restrictions coincide with a low point in relations between Kyiv and Washington. Trump is pressing Ukraine to accept stronger concessions in a peace deal and to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries. Starshield is not used for the latter because it does not operate over Russian territory.
Carney said relying on an ally that may change its view puts Canadians at risk. He noted that this realization leads to decisions to diversify partnerships and build sovereign capabilities in Canada or with other partners. He warned that this process will take time because Canada is currently highly reliant on systems in certain countries.
Zelenskyy is working to reduce Ukraine's reliance on the U.S. network. On Thursday, he signed a letter of intent with Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE to develop a Ukrainian satellite communications network.
