KYIV—Ukraine’s military Starlink system was working normally again on Saturday morning, the country’s defense minister said, raising hopes that the 10-day disruption of the country’s vital satellite internet service by Elon Musk’s SpaceX was ending.
Musk himself authorized the speed limitations that were experienced in Ukraine on Oct. Kyiv’s forces have successfully degraded Russian logistics, helping to prevent significant Russian advances this year. For days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed U.S. officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio for an explanation, urging Washington to restore Starshield’s full functionality.
Drone tests showed the connection with Starshield, a military-grade Starlink service, was stable at speeds of over 400 kilometers an hour, Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara told reporters. 14, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Because of the disruption, Ukrainian forces said, interceptor drones were unable to fly fast enough to shoot down Russia’s long-range Geran jet-powered drones, which have been bombarding Kyiv and other cities, inflicting mounting civilian casualties.
Tests at higher speeds were continuing, other Ukrainian officials said. One said Kyiv still hasn’t received any explanation from the U.S. about why Starshield suddenly faced speed limits. But the disruption to Starshield has given the Russians a reprieve, according to Ukrainian drone units as well as Russian military bloggers.
The improvement on Saturday came after President Trump called Musk on Wednesday and asked him to restore Ukraine’s Starshield service, according to U.S. officials.
