Ukraine's military says Starlink satellite link is stable again after restrictions

Ukraine's armed forces once again have a stable connection to the Starlink satellite communications system, the Ukrainian government has said. This comes 10 days after use of the system was suddenly restricted. The Starlink terminals are made by Elon Musk's company SpaceX but managed by the US government, and they are a key part of Ukraine's military operations.

Impact of the restrictions

The speed limits, which capped terminal operations at 160 km/h (99 mph), caused several Ukrainian combat missions to fail earlier this month. The military's ability to intercept Russian attack drones was hampered, and some operations to strike targets behind enemy lines were cancelled. Russia was able to fire ballistic missiles at Ukraine without advance warning from the US.

The restrictions coincided with US President Donald Trump's announcement of a deal to buy Russian diesel. Trump initially denied that his administration was behind cutting intelligence sharing with Ukraine, saying he did not know who was responsible, but that it was not him and he did not think it was Musk.

Mutual blame

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Trump last Wednesday, saying the president has nothing to do with decisions made by Starlink, Starshield and Musk, because it is a private company. Musk wrote on X that the Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government and that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the president. On Thursday, US Vice-President JD Vance backed Musk.

Zelenskyy blamed both sides: the message came from the American government, while technically SpaceX carried it out. He said there were no similar restrictions in EU countries and that they applied only to Ukraine, which he called a planned operation. In his view, the decision would cost many lives.

Restoration

In a Telegram video address on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield had resumed operating at their pre-restriction speeds, and thanked US allies, including Trump and the State Department. The restoration began overnight, and by morning speeds were sufficient for operational use. He said this matters for frontline logistics and for defending against jet-powered Shahed drones.

On Thursday Trump had claimed the service was back at full speed, but a European official told the Associated Press it was not fully functioning. On Friday Trump said he had not spoken to Musk, but would if needed.