Ukraine Confirms Starlink Speeds Restored After 10-Day Disruption

Ukraine’s government confirmed on Saturday that its military has regained a stable connection to Starlink, ending a ten-day period of abrupt restrictions on the satellite communication system. The announcement came in a video address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who stated that the terminals had resumed operating at pre-restriction levels.

The disruption had capped terminal speeds at 160km/h, or 99mph, a limit that Ukrainian officials said caused several combat missions to fail earlier this month. The restrictions specifically hampered the military’s ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations targeting enemy lines. Additionally, the speed limits prevented the US from providing advance warning when Russia fired ballistic missiles at Ukrainian territory.

Zelenskyy noted that the fix began overnight, with speeds becoming sufficient for operational use by morning. He emphasized that the restoration is critical for frontline logistics and for defending against jet-powered Shahed drones. The President thanked US allies, including President Donald Trump and the State Department, for resolving the issue, and said the system is now at the level Ukraine needs.

The timing of the restrictions coincided with Trump’s announcement of a US deal to purchase Russian diesel. The President initially denied his administration was behind the decision to cut intelligence sharing. "I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon," Trump said, referring to SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Trump last Wednesday, directing suspicion toward Musk. Rubio stated that the president does not run the company and cannot direct it to make specific decisions regarding Starlink and Starshield. Musk, writing on X the previous week, placed the responsibility on the administration. He said the systems are owned and controlled by the US government and that limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the president.

Vice-president JD Vance backed Musk on Thursday, saying the billionaire does not want to get in the middle of a war between two state actors without the US government effectively directing him. Zelenskyy, however, blamed both sides for the initial disruption. "It was a message from [the] American government to limit the speed," Zelenskyy said, "and technically, SpaceX did it."

The Ukrainian President pointed out that Starshield terminals in EU countries faced no similar restrictions, which applied only to Ukraine. He described the move as a planned operation and warned it would bring human losses. Before the official confirmation of the fix, the situation remained unclear. On Thursday, Trump claimed the service was back at full speed, but a European official told the Associated Press it was not fully functioning.

Asked on Friday whether he would tell Musk to stop messing around with Ukraine’s access, Trump said he had not spoken to him but might have to. "If there is a problem, I'll get it straightened out," Trump said, describing Musk as very brilliant and very good.