Zelensky reports heavy Russian attacks as Starlink service speeds restored

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia carried out about 1,600 guided aerial bombs, 48 missiles and nearly 2,300 attack drones in the past week. He posted on X that the strikes resulted in civilian casualties, including four deaths and 22 injuries in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and additional injuries in Vinnytsia and Kharkiv.

Zelensky added that the restoration of Starlink and Starshield satellite internet speeds, which began overnight and reached full capacity by Saturday morning, had improved frontline logistics and defence against Russian Shahed drones. The speeds, he said, were now "where they need to be."

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had earlier claimed that Ukraine violated the company's commercial terms by using Starlink for offensive drone strikes, a charge Ukrainian officials denied. Musk wrote on X that using the civilian service for offensive strikes was never allowed and that the alleged loophole had been closed.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defence-technology adviser to Zelensky, responded that existing speed limits on the civilian Starlink system made offensive use impossible, noting the system operated at 43-56 miles per hour within Ukraine and could not be used for deep or medium-range strikes.

The White House and senior U.S. officials have denied any involvement in the service slowdown. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States and President Donald Trump had "nothing to do" with Starlink decisions, and a senior official told Reuters that no request to slow the service was ever made by the president.

Zelensky thanked American officials and partners for the restored connectivity, stating that protecting lives matters.