Starlink Service Partly Restored in Ukraine After Unexpected Disruption
Ukraine has partly regained Starlink satellite internet for moving terminals after an overnight disruption. Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said service is restored at speeds of up to 160 km/h.
Satellite internet system Starlink has been partly restored in Ukraine for terminals on moving objects, former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Wednesday evening. Ukrainian forces use the system for battlefield communications, and it is controlled by the company SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. The disruption can affect military logistics and the use of drones.
What Fedorov said
Fedorov said Starlink is being switched back on for moving terminals at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour. He added that attack drones and interceptor drones must take to the air again.
What happened overnight
Operation of several Starlink terminals appeared to have been restricted overnight, Serhiy Beskrestnov announced on Wednesday. He is an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on defence technology development. According to him, SpaceX introduced a speed limit for Starlink terminals in motion.
Beskrestnov said Ukraine's defence forces were not warned about the restriction, which caused several missions to be halted. He said the move was unlikely to be a coincidence and was linked to the current political situation.
A senior Ukrainian official told the AFP news agency that the disruption seriously limits logistics first and foremost.
Musk's stance
Since Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Musk has changed his position on Ukraine several times.
