Ukraine says Starshield restored after speed curbs

Ukraine's military can once again use SpaceX's Starshield satellite service while on the move, Defense Ministry sources said on Thursday, Oct. 15. The restoration came a day after sudden speed restrictions disrupted drone missions along the front line. "As of now, Starshield connectivity while in motion has been restored and remains operational," ministry sources told Militarnyi, adding that the ministry is still working with partners to find out what caused the restrictions.therecord.media

A source told the Kyiv Independent that reports from military units confirmed the restoration. The same source did not say whether every restriction had been lifted. A Ukrainian official told Axios that Starlink and Starshield were back to full capacity.kyivindependent.com+1

Missions disrupted

SpaceX put the limits in place without warning on Oct. 14, capping terminal speeds at about 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph), the Kyiv Independent reported. The ministry said speeds available during the day were actually lower than that. Starshield is the military version of SpaceX's Starlink service, and it keeps terminals on vehicles and drones connected while they travel, The Record reported.therecord.media+1

Ukraine's 7th Air Assault Corps said some drones in the Huliaipole sector lost connection for 10 to 20 seconds while flying at just 110 to 120 km/h. At least one drone unit had to cancel missions, according to The Record. Medium-range strike drones and interceptor drones used against jet-powered Shaheds were hit hardest, Militarnyi reported. Serhii Beskrestnov, a presidential adviser on military technology, said the move "cannot be a coincidence and is linked to the current political situation," The Record reported.militarnyi.com+1

Blame shifts to Washington

Elon Musk put responsibility on the U.S. government. "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 on X, according to The Record. Trump administration officials told Axios that Washington had not ordered the restrictions. In an interview with Piers Morgan, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "sure they knew what they did," The Record reported.therecord.media

The disruption came at a tense moment between Kyiv and Washington. The Trump administration recently lifted sanctions on Russian oil sales, and Ukraine has now resumed strikes on Russian refineries, hitting one overnight in defiance of Trump's demand that it stop, Axios reported. According to Axios, many people in both the Trump administration and the Ukrainian government still do not know whether Trump ordered the satellite restrictions.axios.com