The operation of the “Starlink” system and its military version “Starshield” in Ukraine has been restored at the speed that existed before the restrictions.
This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to him, the restoration began at night on October 24, and by morning the satellite communication was already working at the required speed. The Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara had previously said that today Ukraine recorded the operation of “Starlink”/“Starshield” at a speed of over 400 kmph.
The President noted that this is important for front-line logistics and protection against Russian “Shahed” jet drones. He thanked American partners, congressmen, senators, the media, the State Department, and the US President.
Zelensky also added that Ukraine continues negotiations with US partners on the resumption of other levels of cooperation — in particular, the supply of interceptors for air defense.
"There are packages that we are still waiting for. And these are packages from both the American and European partners. Packages for which there are political decisions," the president said, adding that diplomacy should continue next week.
“Starlink” restrictions for Ukrainian military
On the night of October 14, “SpaceX” without warning restricted the operation of “Starshield” terminals, the military version of “Starlink” satellite communications. The “SpaceX” founder Elon Musk said that the “Starshield” systems are controlled by the US government, so their use is determined by the US military, and the final decision is made by the president. The White House called the “Starshield” restrictions in Ukraine a “technical malfunction”.
On October 15, Babelʼs sources in the Ministry of Defense reported that “Starshield” operation had already resumed and was ongoing. At the same time, Zelensky noted the next day that the network had not yet fully resumed. He separately noted that due to the speed limit, Ukraine had lost the ability to shoot down “Shahed” jet drones.
According to Zelensky, the order to restrict “Starlink” operations in Ukraine came from the US government, and was technically carried out by “SpaceX”. The White House denied this, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denied it and advised him to be more careful with such statements.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.