Satellite War: Ukraine Says Starlink Speeds Are Back

Ukraine’s military satellite internet connection is fully operational again. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield systems are running at pre-restriction speeds. This ends a ten-day period of throttled connectivity that disrupted frontline logistics and air defense.

The speed limits capped data transfer at 160km/h, or 99mph. Ukrainian officials stated this restriction caused several combat missions to fail. The military lost the ability to intercept Russian attack drones in real time. Operations targeting assets behind enemy lines were cancelled. Russia fired ballistic missiles at Ukrainian positions without advance intelligence warnings from the United States.

The conflict over the data caps sparked a public blame game between Washington and Elon Musk. The US government manages the terminals, which are built by SpaceX. Trump initially denied his administration ordered the cut in intelligence sharing. He said, "I don't know if it was anybody, but it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon." Secretary of State Marco Rubio later pointed the finger at Musk, stating the president does not run the company and cannot direct its decisions.

Musk pushed back on X, writing that the systems are "owned and controlled by the US government." He argued that the US military and the president decide on speed limits. Vice-president JD Vance sided with Musk, saying the billionaire did not want to meddle in the war without clear government direction. Zelenskyy placed responsibility on both sides. He called the move a "planned operation" because similar restrictions did not apply to Starshield terminals in European Union countries.

Zelenskyy warned the decision would bring human losses. The restoration began overnight on Saturday. By morning, speeds were sufficient for operational use, including tracking jet-powered Shahed drones. Zelenskyy thanked US allies, including Trump and the State Department, for resolving the issue in a video address on Telegram.

The timeline of the fix was murky before Saturday. Trump claimed the service was back at full speed on Thursday. A European official told the Associated Press on the same day that the system was not fully functioning. On Friday, Trump said he had not spoken to Musk but might have to if the problem persisted. He called the SpaceX chief "very brilliant" and "very good" before adding, "If there is a problem, I'll get it straightened out."