Ukraine says Starlink, Starshield connections return to normal speeds

Ukraine announced on Saturday that its Starlink satellite system and the military version Starshield had returned to normal operating speeds after a week of restrictions that hampered military operations and heightened tensions with the US. The disruptions occurred following US President Donald Trump's announcement of a deal to purchase Russian diesel while urging Kyiv to cease attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Ukrainian officials confirmed that the restrictions had impaired the military's capacity to track Russian attack drones and led to the cancellation of certain operations.

Ukraine's defence ministry monitoring systems currently report the restoration of Starlink/Starshield operating speeds at over 400 km per hour, according to a Telegram update. The ministry did not specify if service was fully restored or if it had surpassed previous limits, which were around 160 km per hour when the restrictions were in place.

While Ukraine does not depend on these systems for long-range drone operations in Russian territory, Starlink is crucial for frontline communications, and Starshield supports military actions in occupied areas. The imposition of these limitations prompted significant discontent in Ukraine, particularly as they coincided with disruptions to US warnings about incoming Russian missile strikes. Kyiv later affirmed it continued to receive US intelligence.

The restrictions triggered backlash in Ukraine, with no acknowledgment of responsibility from either Elon Musk or the US government. Both have stated publicly that such decisions must have originated from the other party. Reuters reported that the order to throttle Starshield originated within the White House. Prior administrations had also repeatedly requested SpaceX to activate or deactivate Starlink in various nations, according to sources. On Friday, Trump indicated he would "get it straightened out" if problems persisted.