Ukraine's Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield satellite communication systems have returned to full operating speeds after more than a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the restoration on Saturday, stating that speeds had returned to pre-restriction levels. "The main thing for today is that Starlink and Starshield have resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds. The speeds are now at the level we need," Zelenskyy said. Ukraine's Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara told reporters that monitoring systems recorded speeds exceeding 400 km/h with stable connections, and credited "direct dialogue" and Zelenskyy's diplomacy with Washington for the outcome.
The restrictions, first reported around October 14, had capped connection speeds to approximately 160 km/h or lower. Ukrainian military officials said the slowdown prevented drones traveling above 100 mph from maintaining connections, disrupting drone operations, logistics, and defense efforts against Russian attack drones. The restrictions coincided with disruptions to allied missile-attack warning systems, heightening concerns in Kyiv about vulnerability to Russian attacks.
Elon Musk addressed the incident Saturday, saying the restrictions were imposed because Ukraine violated Starlink's terms of service. "Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week," Musk wrote on X. He stated that SpaceX had done more than any other private company to defend Ukraine and clarified the distinction between Starlink, SpaceX's commercial service, and Starshield, which he said is "controlled by the US government." Musk added: "Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be."
Discontinuity surrounded responsibility for the restrictions throughout the week. President Donald Trump initially told reporters on October 16 that he was not responsible for the slowdown. However, on Saturday, Trump confirmed to reporters in Florida that he had spoken with Musk about Ukraine but did not disclose details of their conversation. Earlier, Trump said Friday that if problems persisted, he would "get it straightened out." The Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the week that Trump had asked Musk to ease the restrictions.
In a statement last week, Musk had indicated that Starshield is subject to U.S. government control: "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." Reuters reported that the throttling order came from within the White House, though neither Musk nor Trump administration officials have publicly acknowledged issuing such an order.
The episode heightened existing tensions between Kyiv and Washington. The satellite network restrictions coincided with Trump's announced deal to purchase Russian diesel and his pressure on Ukraine to cease striking Russian oil refineries. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators requested last week that the Pentagon's independent inspector general launch an official investigation into the Starlink disruptions. Ukraine's military has relied on Starlink for years to counter Russian attacks and maintain front-line communications.
