Ukraine says Starlink and Starshield connection ‘stable’ again

KYIV — The slowed Starlink connections had affected the Ukraine's military and drone operations for a week. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Ukraine's military uses the network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites extensively for military operations By Vicky Wong Published 13 minutes ago Ukraine now has a "stable connection" to Starlink, its defence minister has said, after its military suffered days of restricted connectivity on the satellite network. Kyiv relies on the Starlink and its military-grade counterpart Starshield for piloting drones and operations within Ukraine, but last week accused US President Donald Trump of telling owner Elon Musk to place limits on it.

This meant drones would lose connection when travelling at 161km/h (100mph) or more, it said. Trump denied doing so before saying Musk had "put it back". Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said that speeds of more than 400km/h were now possible on the network, indicating that full capability had been restored.

"This result is above all important for our front, for our soldiers, for the operation of drones, for logistics and for communications," he said in a statement on Saturday. Ukraine's military uses the network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites extensively for military operations, particularly in remote areas on the battlefield. Ukraine uses both the civilian service Starlink and the more secure Starshield, which Musk said was controlled by the US military when he suggested the Pentagon could be behind the recent issues.

Russia is not authorised to use Starlink, so when Ukraine sends long-range missiles or drones deep into Russia to hit oil refineries, the network does not work. The debacle over Starlink began last week, and emerged during a broader diplomatic row between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Faced with midterm elections next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed a deal to import Russian diesel for the US market – a move criticised by Ukraine and its European allies.

Ukraine has regained a "stable" connection to the Starlink and Starshield satellite communications systems, Kyiv's defence minister said on Saturday. Recent disruptions to the connection led to tensions with Washington over the SpaceX-made network crucial to the Ukrainian army's operations.

Issued on: 24/10/2026 – 11:48 1 min Reading time Share By: File – Servicemen of the 68th Oleksa Dovbush Separate Jaeger Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine set up a Starlink satellite internet system, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region on April 10, 2025. © Inna Varenytsia, Reuters The Starlink ⁠satellite communications system and ​its military version Starshield are operating again at speeds over ​400km per hour, Kyiv 's defence minister said on Saturday, after over a week of service restrictions that slowed connections and disrupted military operations.

"The ​ministry ‌of defence's monitoring systems are recording a return ⁠to normal speed for Starlink/Starshield. We are recording a speed of over 400 kph.

‌The connection is stable," Evhenii Khmara told reporters. The Ukrainian military ⁠does not disclose the systems' maximum operating speeds, and the defence ministry did not say whether service had been ​fully restored.

The speed metrics have now returned to normal," the ministry said. The restrictions, first reported on October 14, undermined Ukraine 's ‌ability to intercept Russian attack drones and disrupted frontline communications, Ukrainian officials said.

Sources said ​connection speeds had been reduced to about 160 kph or less. Ukraine's problems with SpaceX-owned Starlink came after US President Donald Trump announced ​a deal to buy Russian diesel and waived new sanctions ​on Moscow while pressing Ukraine to stop striking ​Russian oil refineries.

Neither SpaceX boss Elon Musk nor the US government has acknowledged responsibility ​for restricting Starlink or Starshield in Ukraine. Both have said publicly that any such decision could only have been taken by the other.

Reuters has reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from ⁠inside the White House. Trump said on Friday that if problems with access ⁠to Starlink communications ​systems in Ukraine persisted, he would "get it straightened out".

( with Reuters) Advertising Keywords for this article Ukraine war analysis Ukraine Russia USA SpaceX Elon Musk Donald Trump.

Trump said the strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Kyiv says are crucial to stemming the main revenue source for Moscow's war effort, have pushed global prices higher. While the attacks have had an impact on global fuel prices, rises seen this year have primarily been due to the Iran war.

Zelensky said that, as well as seemingly limiting Starlink capability in Ukraine, the US had also threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes did not stop, something Trump also denied. Meanwhile, fighting on the ground continues.

Russian authorities said on Saturday there were power cuts in Russian-annexed Crimea following a Ukrainian drone attack. Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-backed governor of the region, said restrictions on electricity and water had been put in place.

Separately, Russian-backed authorities said at least three people had been killed and another wounded in a separate Ukrainian strike in Kharkiv. Related topics War in Ukraine Ukraine More on this story Why is Starlink internet so important on the battlefield in Ukraine?

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