Ukraine’s Defence Ministry says Starlink and its military-focused counterpart, Starshield, have returned to high-speed operation after more than a week of connectivity restrictions that disrupted military activities and heightened tensions between Kyiv and Washington.
The ministry announced on Saturday that monitoring systems had detected a recovery in connection speeds, with service operating at more than 400 kilometres per hour. However, officials did not confirm whether all restrictions had been lifted or whether the systems had returned completely to their previous performance levels.
During the disruption, Ukrainian forces reportedly struggled to operate the systems at speeds above 160 kilometres per hour, forcing the military to cancel some operations and making it harder to intercept Russian attack drones.
The satellite services are operated by SpaceX, the company owned by billionaire Elon Musk. Starlink plays a critical role in communications along Ukraine’s front lines, while Starshield is used for military activities in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
Although Ukraine does not depend on the systems for long-range drone operations inside Russia, their disruption has affected capabilities considered important to its battlefield operations.
Disruption raises questions over U.S. role
The restrictions triggered anger in Ukraine, particularly because they coincided with interruptions to allied warnings about incoming Russian missile attacks. Kyiv later said it continued to receive intelligence from the United States despite the problems.
The disruption also unfolded amid tensions over US policy towards the war. US President Donald Trump had announced a deal to purchase Russian diesel while pressing Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.
Neither Musk nor the US government has publicly accepted responsibility for imposing the restrictions. Both have indicated that the decision could only have been made by the other party.
The latest announcement from Ukraine suggests that connectivity has substantially improved, but the Defence Ministry has not provided details explaining how the restrictions were removed or whether further limitations remain in place.
