Ukraine declared on Saturday that the Starlink satellite communication system and its military extension, Starshield, are now operating at full capacity after experiencing speed restrictions lasting over a week. These limitations, capping speeds at 160 kilometers per hour, negatively affected Ukrainian military efforts, particularly in intercepting Russian attack drones and led to the cancellation of several operations. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed via Telegram that the systems have returned to their pre-restriction performance levels, with the Defense Ministry reporting stable connection speeds exceeding 400 kph as of Saturday.
The Starlink system is critical for frontline communications in Ukraine, and together with the Starshield-enabled medium-range attack drones, it has contributed to Ukrainian success on multiple battlefield fronts this year. However, Ukraine does not rely on these systems for long-range drone attacks within Russian territory, including strikes on oil refineries.
The speed restrictions triggered significant discontent in Ukraine, especially as they coincided with disruptions to allied warnings of incoming Russian missile strikes. Despite these disruptions, Kyiv stated that it continued to receive intelligence support from the United States. The responsibility for the imposed restrictions has not been publicly accepted by either Elon Musk's SpaceX or the US government, with each attributing decision-making authority to the other. Reuters reported that the directive to throttle Starshield originated within the White House. Historically, US administrations have requested SpaceX to activate or deactivate Starlink services in various countries.
Former US President Donald Trump initially stated that the service was fully restored but later indicated that he would intervene to resolve ongoing problems if necessary. The controversy arose after Trump's announcement of a deal to purchase Russian diesel and his urging Kyiv to cease strikes on Russian oil refineries, events coinciding with the timing of Starlink service disruptions.