Ukraine says satellite internet speeds are back to normal

Ukrainian officials reported that their military has regained a stable connection to the Starlink satellite system. This announcement came ten days after the government was hit with sudden speed limits on the terminals used for combat operations.

The restrictions capped data speeds at 160 kilometers per hour, a level that proved too slow for many tactical needs. Ukrainian forces said these limits caused several combat missions to fail earlier this month. Specifically, the slowdown hampered the ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations targeting sites behind enemy lines. Without faster data links, Russia was also able to fire ballistic missiles at Ukraine without receiving advance warning from US intelligence.

The timing of the speed cuts drew immediate political attention. The limits coincided with President Donald Trump announcing a US deal to purchase Russian diesel. Trump initially denied that his administration was responsible for the decision to cut intelligence sharing. "I don't know if it was anybody, but it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon," he said, referring to Elon Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX, which manufactures the terminals.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to point the finger at Musk during a defense of the president last Wednesday. "The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr Musk," Rubio said. He added that the president does not run the company and cannot direct its technical operations. In response, Musk wrote on X last week that the systems are owned and controlled by the US government. He stated that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately by the president. Vice-president JD Vance backed Musk on Thursday, noting that the billionaire did not want to get in the middle of a conflict between two state actors without clear direction from the US government.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed both sides for the disruption. "It was a message from [the] American government to limit the speed," he said, adding that SpaceX handled the technical execution. Zelenskyy noted that Starshield terminals in European Union countries faced no similar restrictions, arguing that the decision was a planned operation that would bring human losses.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy announced the restoration of the system in a video address on Telegram. He thanked US allies, including Trump and the State Department, for resolving the issue. He confirmed that Starlink and Starshield had resumed operating at pre-restriction speeds. The restoration began overnight, and by morning, speeds were sufficient for operational use, a factor critical for frontline logistics and defending against jet-powered Shahed drones.

The timeline of the fix had been unclear for days. On Thursday, Trump claimed the service was back at full speed, but a European official speaking to the Associated Press denied that it was fully functioning. When asked on Friday whether he would tell Musk to stop "messing around" with Ukraine's access, Trump said he had not spoken to him but might have to. "If there is a problem, I'll get it straightened out," he said, describing Musk as very brilliant and very good.