Ukraine restores full satellite internet speeds after ten-day military slowdown

Ukrainian forces regained full speed access to the Starlink satellite internet system on Saturday, ending a ten-day period of operational restrictions. The Ukrainian government confirmed that the military connection is now stable, reversing the sudden caps that had limited terminal speeds to 160km/h earlier this month.

The speed limits significantly disrupted Ukrainian combat operations. The restrictions caused several missions to fail, including efforts to intercept Russian attack drones and strikes on targets behind enemy lines. Russian ballistic missiles were also launched without prior warning from the United States, a gap attributed to the reduced data throughput.

The timing of the slowdown coincided with US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal to purchase Russian diesel. Trump initially denied his administration orchestrated the cut in intelligence sharing. "I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon," Trump said, referring to SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later directed suspicion toward Musk, stating that the president does not run the company and cannot direct its decisions.

Musk pushed back on the White House, writing on X that the systems are owned and controlled by the US government. He argued that speed limits are decided by the US military and ultimately the president. Vice-president JD Vance supported Musk’s position, noting that the billionaire did not want to mediate a war between two state actors without direct government instruction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed both parties, describing the slowdown as a planned operation by the American government that SpaceX technically implemented.

Zelenskyy announced the restoration of service in a video address on Telegram on Saturday. He thanked US allies, including Trump and the State Department, for resolving the issue. Zelenskyy stated that Starlink and Starshield terminals have resumed operating at pre-restriction speeds, which are now sufficient for frontline logistics and defense against jet-powered Shahed drones. The restoration began overnight, and speeds were sufficient for operational use by morning.

The clarity of the situation improved after earlier conflicting reports. On Thursday, Trump claimed the service was back at full speed, but a European official told the Associated Press that it was not fully functioning. When asked on Friday if he would tell Musk to stop "messing around" with Ukraine’s access, Trump said he had not spoken to the billionaire but might have to. "If there is a problem, I'll get it straightened out," Trump said.