Ukraine’s Starlink, Starshield access restored to high speeds after restrictions imposed
The speed of Starlink's communications is at regular speeds, Kyiv says, ending restrictions that officials said had disrupted operations for more than a week.
The Starlink satellite system and its military version Starshield are again operating at high speeds, Ukraine says, after more than a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations and intensified tensions with the US.
Problems with Elon Musk’s SpaceX-owned systems came after US President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel while pressing Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries.
Ukrainian officials said the restrictions hampered the military’s ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence monitoring systems are officially recording the restoration of Starlink/Starshield operating speeds,” the ministry said on the Telegram app on Saturday.
“Connectivity remains stable at speeds exceeding 400km/h.”
The Ukrainian military does not disclose the systems’ maximum operating speeds, and the defence ministry did not say whether service had been fully restored.
When limitations were in place, Ukraine experienced problems trying to operate at speeds more than 160km/h.
Ukraine does not rely on the systems for long-range drone operations on Russian territory, but Starlink is vital for frontline communications and Starshield is used for military operations in occupied territories.
The restrictions sparked outrage in Ukraine, particularly as they coincided with disruptions to allied warnings about incoming Russian missile attacks.
Kyiv later said it continued to receive US intelligence.
Neither Mr Musk nor the US government has acknowledged responsibility for restricting Starlink or Starshield in Ukraine.
Both have said publicly that any such decision could only have been taken by the other.
Reuters has reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House.
Previously, US administrations had several times asked SpaceX to turn Starlink on or off in various countries, sources said.
Mr Trump said on Friday that if problems persisted, he would “get it straightened out”.
