Ukraine says Starlink service has been fully restored after disrupted service

Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield were again functioning at speeds needed to support Ukrainian drone operations and battlefield communications. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept. 6, 2024. Zelenskyy said Saturday that Starlink and its military-grade version, Starshield, were again functioning at speeds needed to support Ukrainian drone operations. (Eve Daugherty/U.S. Air Force) Ukraine said Saturday that Starlink satellite communications have been fully restored for its military after more than a week of restrictions that disrupted battlefield operations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starlink and its military-grade version, Starshield, were again functioning at speeds needed to support Ukrainian drone operations and battlefield communications.

“The most important thing today is that Starlink and Starshield operations have been restored to the speeds we had before all the restrictions,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. “The speeds are now where they need to be.” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that its testing confirmed stable satellite connections on equipment moving faster than 250 mph. The previous restrictions had limited connections on some fast-moving equipment to speeds of roughly 100 mph, interfering with Ukraine’s ability to send out interceptor drones targeting Russian jet-powered Shahed munitions. The restoration follows days of conflicting accounts involving U.S. officials and SpaceX owner Elon Musk over responsibility for