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Zelensky links Starshield limits to surge in Russian drone hits on Ukraine’s power network
Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has used more than 2,300 attack drones and 1,590 aerial bombs against Ukraine in a week and blames limits on the Starshield satellite service for slowing interception efforts as strikes cut power to tens of thousands of homes.
Ukraine’s president has put a satellite service at the heart of the country’s air‑defense problems, arguing that limits on its performance are helping Russian drones knock out power infrastructure.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that in the past week Russia had used more than 2,300 attack drones, 1,590 aerial bombs and 15 missiles of different types against Ukrainian targets. He said many of these drones were aimed at electrical substations and linked their effectiveness to what he described as restrictions on the operating speed of the Starshield satellite system along the line of contact and in occupied areas.
According to Zelensky, those limits mean Ukrainian air defenders cannot fully use their interceptor drones to chase down Russian unmanned aircraft before they strike substations and other critical sites. He did not spell out the technical nature of the restrictions or who imposed them, but said they hinder Ukraine’s defenses.
The impact of Russian attacks on the grid was visible the same day. Regional authorities in Dnipropetrovsk said parts of the Dnipro and Kamianske districts were partially without power after a Russian strike. Officials in Zaporizhzhia region reported residents without electricity as well.
Energy company DTEK confirmed that multiple Russian Geran‑2 drones hit an electrical substation in Chornomorsk, Odesa region, leaving about 41,000 homes in the dark. In Kharkiv region, two Geran‑2 drones struck an enterprise in Chuhuiv, with reports of damaged industrial facilities and persistent Russian reconnaissance drone flights over the city.
Ukraine has relied heavily on commercial satellite systems to link its battlefield communications and support emerging drone defenses. Starshield, described as a defense‑oriented satellite connectivity service related to wider low‑Earth‑orbit constellations, is part of this mix. When throughput or speed is reduced near the front, data for targeting and control of interceptor drones can be delayed, limiting operators’ ability to engage incoming threats in real time.
Russia’s extensive use of Geran‑2 drones and glide bombs reflects a focus on wearing down Ukraine’s grid and logistics. Ukraine’s answer combines Western‑supplied air defenses, domestic interceptors and evolving drone tactics that depend on reliable communications.
The next signals to watch include any change in Starshield’s operating profile over Ukraine, public comment from the service provider or Western governments, and data from Ukraine’s grid operator on how quickly power is restored after each wave of attacks. If connectivity for interception systems doesn’t improve as winter sets in, the pressure on Ukraine’s power network is likely to intensify.