Starlink, Starshield back to full service in Ukraine after week of throttling
Zelenskiy says satellite internet for the front line is working as it did before the restrictions, with terminals again operating on platforms moving faster than 400 kph – key for drone defence.
Symbolic image · Photo: Wikideas1 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Starlink and its military version Starshield are again operating in Ukraine as they did before restrictions were imposed, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday. "The speed is now what we need," he said in a video address. He said the restoration began overnight and the systems were fit for operational use by the morning.
For more than a week, terminals had only worked on platforms moving at up to about 160 kph. Ukrainian officials said that hampered the interception of Russian attack drones and forced some operations to be called off. The defence ministry said its monitoring now showed a stable connection at speeds above 400 kph.
It remains unclear who ordered the throttling. Neither Elon Musk nor the U.S. government has accepted responsibility, each saying the decision could only have come from the other. Reuters has reported, citing sources, that the order came from the White House. Trump said on Friday that if problems persisted he would "get it straightened out." Zelenskiy thanked the Americans and Ukraine's partners for their help.