Ukrainian soldiers of the 61st Independent Mechanized Brigade use the Starlink system during military exercises in the Chernihiv region, Ukraine, June 2023. (Photo by Maxym Malsenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Ukraine announced on Saturday that high-speed services had been restored. space xA day after declaring that its Starlink and Starshield satellite communications systems remained throttled. Ukrainian officials said the service disruption left the country vulnerable to Russian attack.
“The surveillance system of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has officially recorded the speed recovery of Starlink/Starshield,” the ministry said in a statement. “The connection remains stable even at speeds above 400 km/h (249 mph) (while the equipment is moving).”
“Previously, the monitoring system recorded operational limitations of Starlink/Starshield. The speed indicator has now been restored,” the ministry added.
Starlink is SpaceX’s extensive commercial satellite internet network, and Starshield is the company’s government operation built on Starlink technology.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
A soldier from the Separate Mission Rifle Battalion of the Ukrainian National Police uses a smartphone to check signal quality while setting up a Starlink satellite communications network at a combat base in Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 16, 2026.
Dmytro Smolyenko | Null Photo | Getty Images
Since October 14, Ukrainian authorities have accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of undermining their country’s defense capabilities by imposing speed limits on Starshield, the military’s Starlink satellite internet service. Officials said drones flying above 160 miles per hour will lose connectivity and some missions will be disrupted.
Ukraine’s StarShield terminal continued to have problems on Friday, despite recent comments by President Donald Trump indicating service had been restored, said Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington, D.C., think tank focused on energy, defense technology and global trade.
“Things got difficult.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a post on X on Friday that restrictions on Starlink and StarShield “still exist,” adding that “the speed has not recovered.” He said the country was awaiting the delivery of anti-missile missiles by the United States that had been “already agreed upon.”
“Starlink and StarShield policies and speed limits make things even more difficult,” Zelenskiy wrote. “But our front lines are still holding and I’m proud of how strong our people are.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said it continues to monitor the operation of the system.
“This result is important above all for our frontline, military, drone operations, logistics and communications,” Defense Minister Evgeny Kumara said in a statement.
U.S. lawmakers from both parties are calling for a formal investigation into Musk and SpaceX over allegations that the companies made unilateral changes to their services in Ukraine.
