Ukraine says Starlink and Starshield connections are stable at high speeds
Ukraine’s defense minister says military monitoring recorded stable connections above 400 km/h after restrictions disrupted drone operations for more than a week.
Ukraine’s defense minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday, October 24, that monitoring showed Starlink and Starshield connections were stable on equipment travelling faster than 400 km/h, a reported restoration of high-speed satellite links used by Ukrainian forces after more than a week of disruption.
‘The Ministry of Defense’s monitoring systems indicate that Starlink/Starshield speeds have been restored,’ Khmara said in WhatsApp messages to reporters, according to POLITICO. ‘We are recording speeds exceeding 400 km/h, and the connection is stable.’ The figure describes the speed at which connected equipment can travel while maintaining service; it is not a measure of internet download speed.
Why the connection matters for Ukrainian forces
SpaceX’s Starlink network and its military-grade Starshield service support Ukrainian military communications and drone operations. CBS News reported that commanders had described lost drones and disrupted missions during the restrictions. The BBC reported that Ukraine had said drones lost their connection when travelling at 161 km/h or more.
Khmara said the improvement was particularly important for the front line, military personnel, drones, logistics and communications. He said the defense ministry would continue monitoring the performance of both services, according to POLITICO. His account reports what the ministry’s systems recorded; the ministry has not released measurements establishing service conditions for every unit or location.
What changed since Friday’s speed-limit reports
The minister’s statement marks a change from Friday, when Ukrainian officials told POLITICO that drones were still losing their signal above 160 km/h. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said on Friday that Ukraine was still experiencing Starlink and Starshield speed limits, CBS News reported. Those accounts followed President Donald Trump’s statement on Thursday that SpaceX chief Elon Musk had ‘put it back.’
The new monitoring claim follows earlier conflicting accounts of whether the cap had been lifted. An earlier NewsJaws report described a Ukrainian official’s account that the speed limit remained despite reports of improvement. Saturday’s statement gives a later, specific speed reading from the defense ministry, while the status of individual connections still depends on the ministry’s account.
Who ordered the earlier restrictions remains unclear. Trump has maintained that he did not make the decision and has said Musk should not be blamed, CBS News reported. The cause of the change in service has not been established in Khmara’s statement.
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Sources and context
- Starlink connection restored at high speed in Ukraine, defense minister saysPOLITICO Europe
- Ukraine says it regained full use of Starlink, after more than a week of disruptionCBS News
- Ukraine says Starlink connection 'now stable' after network limitsBBC News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.