Starlink and Starshield services restored in Ukraine after week-long slowdown
Ukraine announced that SpaceX's Starlink and its military variant Starshield are back to full speed after a week of throttling that had limited military communications.
Ukraine said on Saturday that the Starlink satellite internet system and its military version, Starshield, have returned to full operational speed after more than a week of imposed limits that slowed data transmission. The slowdown, which capped speeds at about 160 kilometres per hour, was reported to have hampered the Ukrainian military's ability to detect Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some missions.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted on Telegram that the services are now operating at the required speed, adding that the connection remained stable at over 400 kilometres per hour, according to the defence ministry. While Ukraine does not depend on the systems for long-range drone strikes inside Russia, the platforms remain critical for frontline communications and for deploying medium-range attack drones that have supported recent battlefield gains.
The restrictions coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a deal to purchase Russian diesel and his urging Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries. Neither SpaceX nor the U.S. government has confirmed responsibility for the throttling, and both have suggested that any decision would have been made by the other side. Reuters reported that the order to limit Starshield originated within the White House, noting that previous U.S. administrations have asked SpaceX to activate or deactivate Starlink in various regions.
"If problems persist, I will get it straightened out," President Trump said on Friday, after earlier stating that the services had been fully restored.