Satellite Throttling Ended for Ukrainian Drones After Week of Lost Missions
Kyiv says its military monitoring systems verified stable connectivity for objects moving above 250 mph after restrictions on Starshield were lifted.
By Hassan Okoye ·
Ukraine's military regained full satellite connectivity for drones and other fast-moving equipment, Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday.
Khmara said the Defense Ministry's monitoring systems inside Ukraine registered stable connections on objects traveling faster than 250 mph. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said checks confirmed that both Starlink and Starshield, the military-grade service operated by SpaceX, were delivering the required speeds. Zelenskyy said the restoration process started the previous evening and that by morning speeds were sufficient to carry traffic. He linked the restored capacity to front-line logistics and to countering the Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia launches regularly at Ukraine.
Restrictions imposed on Starshield more than a week ago drew concern from Ukrainian military and government officials. Commanders reported losing drones and saw missions disrupted during the period of throttling. Khmara said direct dialogue and Zelenskyy's diplomacy with Washington produced the reversal, and he identified drone operations, logistics and communications as the areas where the change matters most. Zelenskyy thanked Americans and other partners who took the matter seriously.
The timing intersects with a new round of diplomacy aimed at ending the war. On Wednesday, Russia agreed to resume three-way talks with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow accepted a localized ceasefire around Oleshky, a war-damaged town in the southern Kherson region under Russian occupation; first lady Melania Trump brokered the truce. The satellite episode added strain to ties already tense over President Donald Trump's reported arrangement with Moscow concerning Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.
Questions persist about who ordered the slowdown of the satellite internet system built by Elon Musk's company, a service Ukraine has used for years against Russian attacks. Trump has said he did not make that call while also stating that Musk should not be blamed.
Zelenskyy said the restored service allows speeds sufficient to use the connection.
Source: CBS News
