Satellite Speeds: Ukraine Confirms Full Restoration of Starlink and Starshield

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 24 October that speed restrictions on the Starlink and Starshield satellite systems were fully lifted by morning.

The president stated in a video address that both systems were operating at the speeds they maintained before the restrictions began. "Now we have the speed we need," he said. Zelenskyy noted that speeds began recovering overnight and reached levels suitable for military operations by the start of the day.

Defense forces and Ministry of Defence experts had recorded system speeds above 161 km/h prior to the presidential statement. The Ministry of Defence subsequently issued an official confirmation, reporting stable connections with speeds exceeding 400 km/h. Zelenskyy identified the restoration as a key development for frontline logistics and for the defense against jet-powered Shahed drones.

The announcement follows a recent period of operational disruption. A few days earlier, Zelenskyy reported that equipment in several sectors along the line of contact was limited to speeds between 130 and 161 km/h. He explained that these constraints interfered with logistics and reduced the effectiveness of drone usage.

Political attention shifted to the issue earlier this month. On 16 October, US President Donald Trump stated that the White House had not been involved in limiting Ukraine's use of the satellite systems. Separately, The Telegraph reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had proposed to Trump the idea of restricting bandwidth for the networks used by the Ukrainian military.