Ukraine confirmed on Saturday that the Starlink satellite system and its military equivalent Starshield have returned to full speed after over a week of service restrictions that disrupted frontline operations. However the hours later SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accused Kyiv of violating terms of service.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Telegram that connectivity speeds had returned to pre-restriction levels. The Defence Ministry confirmed stable operation at speeds over 400 kph (250 mph). Ukrainian officials noted that the week-long throttling to 160 kph (100 mph) had severely hampered military efforts to intercept incoming Russian drones and forced the cancellation of several key battlefield operations.
Following Zelenskiy’s announcement, Musk claimed on X that Ukraine used Starshield for offensive drone strikes, stating that SpaceX had closed that loophole. In response the Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov clarified that Ukraine is physically unable to use Starlink for long-range attack drones also emphasizing that satellite connectivity remains crucial for frontline communications and medium-range defensive drones.
Reports indicate the order to restrict Starshield originated from the White House amid broader geopolitical pressure on Kyiv. The curbs coincided with temporarily disrupted allied missile warnings, sparking frustration in Kyiv before normal intelligence flows resumed.
Neither the US government nor SpaceX had previously taken responsibility for initiating the service slowdown. US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he would resolve any ongoing connectivity issues between SpaceX and Ukraine.
