Ukraine: Starlink satellite speeds restored to normal

Ukraine's Starlink satellite speeds restored to normal

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Ukraine's Starlink satellite speeds have been restored to normal, according to the Ukrainian government. The announcement comes after over a week of Starlink and Starshield restrictions that disrupted military operations in Ukraine and sparked tensions with the US. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said speeds for Starlink and Starshield started returning to normal overnight. Ukraine's defense ministry confirmed on Saturday that the connection remained stable at over 400 kilometers per hour (kph).

The Starlink satellite system and its military version Starshield were fully functional on Saturday, the Ukrainian government said. Ukrainian officials said that the capped speeds of 160 kph had hampered the military's ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Starlink is operated by rocket company SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, who is a close ally of US President Donald Trump.

Elon Musk has said his company SpaceX restricted Ukraine's Starlink internet service, after Ukrainian officials said connectivity issues appeared to have been resolved. The tech billionaire accused Ukraine of violating its terms of service by using it for military activity - but denied being responsible for a simultaneous issue with its US-run, military-grade counterpart Starshield. Kyiv has not officially commented on Musk's latest claim but Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said his post was "very strange".

The issue first emerged last week during a broader row between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Musk's latest comments, and the seeming restoration of the service, came after US President Donald Trump said he had told the Tesla and X owner to "put it back", having repeatedly denied instructing him to limit the service. "Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be," Musk wrote on X on Saturday. "Ukraine's military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week."