Starlink speeds return to Ukraine front after week of drone disruption

A week of slowed satellite connections at Ukraine's front lines ended Saturday, when Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara said full Starlink speeds were back in service for drones and other fast-moving equipment. Commanders had reported lost drones and missions cut short while the restrictions were in place. The slowdown applied to Starshield, SpaceX's military-grade offering, and Ukrainian officials said it disrupted operations for more than a week.

Khmara told reporters that the Defense Ministry's monitoring systems inside Ukraine showed stable connections for objects traveling above 250 mph. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said checks confirmed that Starlink and Starshield were both operating at the correct speed. "Now the speed is what we need," Zelenskyy said. "The restoration began last night, and in the morning there were already speeds sufficient to use this connection. This is very important." He linked the restored service to front-line logistics and to defending against Shaheds, the Iranian-made drones Russia launches at Ukraine.

The satellite internet system, built by Elon Musk's company, has carried Ukraine's communications through years of Russian attacks. Who ordered the interruptions has been an open question since last week. President Donald Trump has said he did not make that call, while also saying Musk should not be blamed for it. Khmara credited direct dialogue and Zelenskyy's diplomacy with Washington for the reversal.

The restoration landed amid a new round of diplomatic activity. On Wednesday, Russia agreed to resume three-way talks with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow settled on a localized ceasefire around Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in the southern Kherson region, brokered by first lady Melania Trump. The episode added to friction between Kyiv and Washington, a relationship already strained by President Donald Trump's reported arrangement with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.

Ukraine's use of the service reaches into how its forces operate day to day. Khmara said the restored speeds mattered most "for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics and communications." Zelenskyy thanked Americans and "all our partners, who took all this seriously and are really helping us." The restrictions had alarmed Ukrainian military and government officials during the period they were in effect, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions.