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.
An artilleryman of the Special Rifle Police Battalion of Zaporizhzhia region sets up Starlink satellite internet system, at a position, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Oct. 16, 2026.
Stringer via Reuters
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 Space X. 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.
A handout photo made available by the press service of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows brigade members welcoming other brigade members near the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Oct. 19, 2026
65th Mechanized Brigade Press Service Handout via EPA via Shutterstock
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 X last week, Musk 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.
In this March 1, 2025, flie photo, a double exposure photograph shows the starlink logo and satellite antenna on the ground in front of a military camouflage net in Kerlouan in Brittany in France.
Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
"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.
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.
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