Ukraine confirms satellite links restored for drones moving at 250 mph

Ukraine has restored satellite connections for military drones moving at more than 400 kilometres per hour. Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced on Saturday that links via Starlink and Starshield are now stable for equipment operating at speeds exceeding 250 miles per hour. This development ends a disruption that lasted more than a week and hampered drone operations against Russian forces.

Khmara credited diplomatic efforts with Washington and the actions of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for securing the fix. Ukraine relies heavily on satellite services provided by Elon Musk's SpaceX for communications and drone missions. The exact origin of the initial restrictions remained unclear, though US President Donald Trump denied responsibility while defending Musk.

The outage added tension to relations between Kyiv and Washington. These ties were already strained by Trump's agreement to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel and allow US imports. Earlier this month, Trump called for a new Ukrainian president and suggested on Monday that someone other than Zelenskyy should negotiate for Kyiv. These comments followed a public confrontation between the two leaders at the White House in February 2025.

The return of service coincides with US efforts to revive peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Negotiators from the three nations are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi during the first half of November. This round of talks comes more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the planned discussions on Friday, while Zelenskyy announced agreement on technical-level meetings.

Trump also attributed a local ceasefire in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, to his wife, Melania Trump. Russian forces have occupied the area since 2022. Ukrainian and Russian statements later set the start of this ceasefire for October 27, with a humanitarian operation planned for October 29.

Fighting continued during the outage period. A Russian missile strike on Lozova in the Kharkiv region killed one man and wounded two others on Saturday, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov. In Chernihiv, a Friday attack killed one man and wounded at least 25 people. Donetsk officials reported that shelling in Kramatorsk killed one person and wounded six, including three children. Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Lyakh said attacks there killed a 62-year-old woman and wounded four people.

Ukraine reported strikes inside Russia on Friday and into Saturday. Targets included the Togliattikauchuk petrochemical plant in Togliatti, where Mayor Ilya Sukhikh confirmed industrial damage but no casualties. Ukraine also claimed a hit on the Proton electronics plant in Oryol, which produces missile components. Regional Governor Andrei Klychkov reported three deaths in an attack on an unidentified facility. Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea reported power cuts after overnight Ukrainian attacks. Russia's Defence Ministry stated its air defences intercepted a SCALP cruise missile, four Neptune missiles and 1,297 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over 24 hours.