Ukraine Restores Full Starlink Speeds After Ten-Day Military Disruption

The Ukrainian government announced on Saturday that its military has regained a stable connection to the Starlink satellite system. This resolution ends a ten-day period during which sudden speed limits on the terminals disrupted key combat operations.

The restrictions capped terminal speeds at 160 kilometers per hour, a threshold that caused several missions to fail. The limits hampered the military's ability to intercept Russian attack drones and led to the cancellation of operations targeting sites behind enemy lines. Additionally, the disruption allowed Russia to fire ballistic missiles at Ukraine without advance warning from US intelligence services.

The timing of the limits coincided with President Donald Trump's announcement of a US deal to purchase Russian diesel. Trump initially denied his administration was responsible for the cut in intelligence sharing. He stated that he did not know who was behind the decision, asserting that it was not him and that he did not believe it was Elon Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX, which manufactures the terminals.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to direct suspicion toward Musk when he defended the president last Wednesday. Rubio said the president does not run the company and cannot direct its decisions. In response, Musk wrote on X that the systems are owned and controlled by the US government, noting that any limits are decided by the US military and ultimately the president. Vice-president JD Vance supported this view on Thursday, stating that Musk does not want to meddle in a conflict between two state actors without direct government instruction.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed both parties for the disruption. He said the US government sent a message to limit speed, while SpaceX executed the technical changes. Zelenskyy noted that Starshield terminals in EU countries faced no similar restrictions, calling the decision a planned operation that would result in human losses.

Zelenskyy confirmed the restoration in a video address on Telegram, thanking US allies including Trump and the State Department. He said Starlink and Starshield had resumed operating at pre-restriction speeds sufficient for frontline logistics and defense against jet-powered Shahed drones. The restoration began overnight, with speeds becoming sufficient for operational use by morning.

Earlier in the week, the status of the service remained unclear. Trump claimed on Thursday that the service was back at full speed, but a European official told the Associated Press that it was not fully functioning. When asked on Friday if he would instruct Musk to stop interfering with Ukraine's access, Trump said he had not spoken to the billionaire but might have to. He added that if a problem exists, he would get it straightened out, describing Musk as very brilliant and very good.