KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted front-line operations for more than a week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday.
“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelensky wrote on X, adding that restoration began overnight and speeds were sufficient by Saturday morning, improving front-line logistics and defense against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
The restoration follows a new U.S. diplomatic push to end the war. Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localized ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump around Oleshky, a war-ravaged, Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.
Restrictions imposed last week on Starshield — SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service and the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communications — alarmed the country’s military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions.
The episode added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington, a relationship already strained by President Trump’s reported deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.
Questions have persisted about who ordered the interruptions to the Elon Musk-made satellite internet system that Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.
Trump has maintained that he didn’t make the call, while also saying Musk should not be blamed. Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement.
Blann and Morton write for the Associated Press. Morton reported from London.
The post Ukraine’s Starlink satellite speeds restored after a week of front-line disruption appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
