Ukraine says Starlink satellite access is fully back after weeklong disruption
Starlink and Starshield satellite system speeds are fully back, Ukrainian officials said Saturday, following more than a week of disruptions and slowdowns that they say hampered military defense.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a statement that its monitoring systems have officially recorded the restoration of Starlink-Starshield performance, and connection with the satellites remains stable at movement speeds above 400 km/h.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had called on President Donald Trump and other United States officials to help restore the system, which is run through Elon Musk's company SpaceX. Following talks with U.S. officials, Zelenskyy said Tuesday the early warning system had resumed, but it took time for speeds to reach their previous levels.
"This is another example of how direct dialogue and the firm position of the President of Ukraine at the highest level can deliver results. And this result is especially important for the front line, for our troops, drone operations, logistics and communications," Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara said in a statement Saturday.
The imposition of speed limits on Starshield and Starlink-supported networks endangered Ukrainians by inhibiting flight of their military's offensive and defensive capabilities in Russia-controlled Ukrainian territory, Zelenskyy said.
Russia has launched several attacks against Ukraine in the last two weeks, including a deadly attack on an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia that killed 20 people, including three children, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Trump administration denied ordering a slowdown in Starshield and Starlink-supported networks, with administration officials pointing to Elon Musk's SpaceX, for the change.
"I didn't do that. No, we didn't do that at all," the president told reporters on Oct 16, adding the infrastructure was "probably functional."
In a post on Saturday, Elon Musk addressed the matter, saying Ukraine violated the terms of service for Starlink.
"Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be," Musk said in the post, adding: "Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week."
Musk also maintained the U.S. government controls Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink.
"Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government," Musk said in the post. "What they decide to do is up to them."
He added that SpaceX had done more than any other private company "on Earth BY FAR" to defend Ukraine.
In a post last week, Musk also addressed the government's relationship to Starlink and its missile-tracking Starshield program.
"Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," he wrote.
"Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company," Musk added.
Trump told reporters Friday that he hadn't spoken to Musk about the situation, but would do so if the disruption continued.
"I've heard it was fixed, but if it's not, I'll speak to him," the president said.
On Saturday, Trump said he had spoken with Musk about Ukraine but did not disclose what they discussed.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators requested last week that the independent inspector general at the Pentagon launch an official probe into the Starlink disruptions.
