Ukraine reports stable Starlink links on fast-moving equipment after restrictions

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at a summit in Brussels on Friday that Starlink was essential for Ukraine and that Europe could not provide the same capability in the short term. Her warning came after Ukrainian officials reported restrictions affecting Starshield, a military service that uses SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network. [1] [2] [5]

Ukrainian officials said the restrictions had interfered with drones that rely on the service. By Thursday, receivers were working again while in motion, but only at speeds of up to 160 km/h, a person at Ukraine’s defence ministry told Reuters. That figure describes how fast the equipment could travel while maintaining a connection, not the speed of the internet service. The account does not establish what restrictions remained on Friday. [5]

Who directed the limits remains disputed. Reuters reported, citing two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter, that the order came from inside the White House. A senior US official told Bloomberg that President Donald Trump had made no such request; that denial does not rule out a decision by someone else. Bloomberg also reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, that SpaceX had limited terminal connections. [5] [6]

Kallas described cooperation with US allies as very difficult at the moment. Her assessment of Europe’s short-term options was not an announcement of a replacement service: the European Commission said on Wednesday that it was discussing access to its GOVSATCOM system with Ukraine, with commercial capacity planned for early 2027 and the longer-term IRIS² system envisaged towards 2029. The Commission did not present those plans as a direct replacement for Starshield. [4] [3]

Update

US President Donald Trump said on Friday, 23 October, that he would speak to Elon Musk if restrictions affecting Ukraine’s Starlink connections persisted. He said he had not spoken to Musk about the matter and had heard the problem was fixed, but promised to look into reports of continuing problems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the same day that speed limits on both Starlink and Starshield remained in place. [7][8]

Trump’s answer was more definite than his response on Thursday, when he said Musk had restored the service but declined to say whether he had called him. It also conflicts with reports of an earlier conversation: Reuters cited a Wall Street Journal report that Trump had asked Musk to lift the restrictions, while CNN separately said a source had told it Trump called Musk to request restored service. Whether that call took place remains disputed. [10][8]

Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations, making connection speeds consequential. The issue Zelenskyy described was reduced speed, not a complete loss of service. Reuters reported that some Ukrainian officials had told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the system was running faster than it had under the cap, though not at full functionality. Trump said on Friday that he did not know who had ordered the restrictions. [10][8][7]

Update

Ukraine’s defence minister said on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield connections were stable on equipment travelling at more than 400km/h, after restrictions disrupted the military’s use of fast-moving drones. Yevhenii Khmara said the defence ministry’s monitoring systems had recorded the improvement. The figure describes how fast the equipment was moving, not the speed of its internet connection. [14] [16]

As recently as Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the speed limits remained in place, according to AP. Reuters reported that Ukraine had experienced connection problems above about 160km/h. Ukrainian officials said the disruption had hampered efforts to intercept Russian attack drones and forced some operations to be cancelled. [16] [15]

Khmara said the improved connection mattered for troops at the front, drones, logistics and communications. But the ministry was still testing higher speeds and assessing the extent of the recovery, Interfax-Ukraine reported. It has not said whether service is fully restored across Starlink and Starshield operations. [14] [15]

Who imposed the restrictions remains disputed. Reuters has reported that an order to restrict Starshield came from inside the White House, while neither the US government nor Elon Musk has acknowledged responsibility. President Donald Trump has denied making the decision. [15] [16]