On October 14, 2026, SpaceX imposed an unannounced speed limit on military-grade Starshield terminals used by Ukrainian forces, automatically cutting internet connectivity for terminals moving faster than 100 mph (160 km/h) and disrupting several high-speed military drone operations.
I believe this is a result of private infastructure. If they had their own internet satelites, they wouldn’t be at the mercy of some dickhead who has something to gain by manipulating their access on a whim.
Take it from someone from the one country that developed then abandoned indigenous space launch capability; space infrastructure is insanely expensive.
Black Arrow was actually good though, and Britain was mad to cancel it. Also cheap for its day, the government was spaffing money on far worse at the time.
The issue is resources. Ukraine has been trying to develop it’s own satellite comms network but lacks the resources particularly in the middle of a war.
It’s absolutely insane to think 1 crazy wackadoodle has more resources at his fingertips than any government entity in the world. Really goes to show how badly they need go be taxed, hell were past tax it’s time to just take their fucking bag and redistribute it