Ukraine says military Starlink service back up to speed after restrictions
Kyiv reports stable satellite links for fast-moving drones after restrictions hampered interceptions of Russian attacks and forced missions to be canceled
Ukraine said Starlink and its military version, Starshield, were again maintaining stable connections on fast-moving equipment after more than a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations.
The Defense Ministry said its monitoring systems recorded stable connectivity on equipment traveling above 400 kilometers per hour. Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara credited President Volodymyr Zelensky’s high-level dialogue, saying the improvement was crucial for troops, drones, logistics and communications.
The restrictions, first reported in mid-October, caused connections to fail at speeds around 160 kilometers per hour, hampering efforts to intercept Russian attack drones and forcing some missions to be canceled, Ukrainian officials said. The ministry did not explicitly confirm that all service capabilities had been restored.
Neither SpaceX chief Elon Musk nor the US government has accepted responsibility for the restrictions. Reuters previously reported that the order originated inside the White House. President Donald Trump said Friday he would resolve any continuing problems.