Ukraine says Starlink and Starshield links for its drones are back to full speed after more than a week of limits

Ukraine’s military has regained full use of Starlink and its military version Starshield for drones and other fast-moving equipment, Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday 24 October, after restrictions that Ukrainian officials said had disrupted front-line operations for more than a week.

Khmara said the ministry’s monitoring systems showed stable connections for objects travelling faster than 400 km/h (about 250 mph). “This result is above all important for our front, for our soldiers, for the operation of drones, for logistics and for communications,” he said, according to the BBC. He credited “direct dialogue” with Washington, CBS News reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said checks confirmed both services were running at the correct speed. “The restoration began last night, and in the morning there were already speeds sufficient to use this connection,” he said, adding that it mattered for front-line logistics and for defending against Russian jet-powered “Shahed” drones. He thanked Americans and “all our partners”.

Background: Ukrainian officials said the limits caused drones to lose connection above about 160 km/h. Who ordered them remains disputed. The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported that SpaceX owner Elon Musk was behind the slowdown; Musk suggested the Pentagon, which he said controls Starshield, could be behind the issues; President Donald Trump denied making the call and later said Musk had “put it back”, the BBC reported. See also: Musk ordered Starlink slowdown that hit Ukraine’s drones, Wall Street Journal reports and Musk alleges Ukrainian ‘elites’ grew rich on aid, as Kyiv says Starlink limits remain.