Ukraine says Starlink speed limits lifted, restoring full drone links after a week of throttling
Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield connections were stable again at speeds above 400 km/h, after more than a week in which Ukrainian drones lost signal above about 160 km/h.
Ukraine’s military has regained full use of Starlink and its military-grade counterpart Starshield, Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday, 24 October. “We are recording speeds exceeding 400 km/h, and the connection is stable,” he told reporters, according to POLITICO.
A week of disruption
Since last week, Kyiv had reported that drones lost connection when travelling faster than about 160 km/h (100 mph), hampering front-line operations and defensive strikes. Ukraine accused US President Donald Trump of telling SpaceX owner Elon Musk to impose the limits; Trump denied it before saying Musk had “put it back”, the BBC reported. Khmara said the restored link was of primary importance “for the front line, our military personnel, the operation of drones, logistics, and communications”, and that the ministry would keep monitoring performance.
Wider row
The dispute emerged amid tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the US had also threatened to stop sharing intelligence if the strikes continued, which Trump denied, according to the BBC.
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