Ukraine Says Stable Starlink Connection Has Returned After Days of Restrictions
Ukraine's Defence Minister, Yevhenii Khmara, said on 24 October 2026 that the country now has a "stable connection" to Starlink, the satellite internet network, after several days of restricted connectivity. BBC News Khmara also said speeds of more than 400km/h are now possible on the network.
The restriction mattered because Ukraine relies on Starlink, and on its military-grade version, Starshield, to fly drones and run operations. Ukraine's military said its drones lost their Starlink connection when travelling at 161km/h (100mph) or faster during the restriction period. Ukraine also depends on the systems to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks, according to Times of Israel. One report said Ukraine's military Starlink service returned to normal operations after a 10-day disruption. Yahoo News
The disruption also became a dispute between Kyiv and Washington. Ukraine accused US President Donald Trump last week of telling Elon Musk to place limits on Starlink. Trump denied telling Musk to limit the service and later said Musk had "put it back". Musk said Starshield is controlled by the US military, and suggested the Pentagon could be behind recent Starlink problems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States had threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if Ukrainian strikes did not stop. Trump denied that claim.
Earlier in October, Mykhailo Fedorov said Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160km/h was being restored, and that attack and interceptor drones should be able to fly again. Ukrainska Pravda
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence had already moved in February to tighten control over the terminals, the ground devices that connect users to the satellites. It said it was introducing a whitelist, a list of approved devices, under which only verified and registered terminals would be allowed to operate. The ministry said the list helps keep connectivity stable for Ukrainians while reinforcing security and depriving the enemy of technological advantages.
On 24 October, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said its monitoring systems had officially recorded the restoration of Starlink and Starshield operating speeds, after about a week of throttling. Reuters
