Overview
- Ukraine’s defence ministry reported on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield service is back and stable with speeds above 400 km/h, restoring capacity for drones, logistics and frontline communications.
- Ukrainian officials had warned for days that terminals were being capped at about 160 km/h, a limit that caused some drones to lose connection and hindered military operations.
- Elon Musk acknowledged that his service was limited last week and publicly accused Ukrainian forces of using Starlink for offensive drone strikes in breach of the system’s civilian terms of use.
- Responsibility for the slowdown remains disputed as unnamed U.S. sources have told some outlets that Musk ordered limits while the White House and U.S. officials have given mixed or distancing statements.
- The episode highlights Ukraine’s operational dependence on private satellite services and the strategic risk that politicized control of commercial systems can disrupt frontline defence and civilian life.