Ukraine restores full Starlink speeds after week-long disruption

Ukraine's military has regained full use of Starlink satellite connections for its drones and other fast-moving equipment, Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday. The announcement ends speed limits that Ukrainian officials say disrupted operations at the front for more than a week.

Khmara told reporters that the Defense Ministry's monitoring systems in Ukraine were showing stable connections on objects moving faster than 250 mph. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said checks had confirmed that both Starlink and Starshield, SpaceX's military-grade version of the service, were running at the correct speed.

"Now the speed is what we need," Zelenskyy said. "The restoration began last night, and in the morning there were already speeds sufficient to use this connection. This is very important." He added that the restored service matters for front-line logistics and for protecting Ukraine from reactive "Shaheds," the Iranian-made drones that Russia regularly launches.

The restrictions on Starshield last week alarmed Ukrainian military and government officials. Commanders reported lost drones and disrupted missions during the period.

The restoration comes as U.S. envoys have launched a new push to end the war. Russia agreed on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localized ceasefire around Oleshky, a war-ravaged, Russian-occupied town in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. The truce was brokered by first lady Melania Trump.

The episode added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington. The relationship was already strained by President Donald Trump's reported deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.

Khmara credited "direct dialogue" and Zelenskyy's diplomacy with Washington for the outcome. He said it mattered most "for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics and communications." Zelenskyy thanked Americans and "all our partners, who took all this seriously and are really helping us."

Questions have lingered since last week over who ordered the interruptions to the satellite internet system built by Elon Musk's company, which Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Russian attacks. Trump has maintained that he did not make the call, while also saying Musk should not be blamed.