Ukraine said on Saturday, October 24, that the Starlink satellite system and its military-grade version, Starshield, were again operating at high speeds after more than a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations, Reuters reported. "Ukraine's Ministry of Defence monitoring systems are officially recording the restoration of Starlink/Starshield operating speeds," the ministry said on Telegram. "Connectivity remains stable at speeds exceeding 400 km per hour." Defence Minister Yevheniy Khmara gave the same account in a statement reported by CNN, adding that the ministry is continuing to track the progress.
Has the restoration reached the whole front?
Not uniformly, on the reporting opened for this article. Later on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Starlink and Starshield had resumed operations at the speeds they had before the restrictions, describing the services as "crucial for our frontline logistics and for defending Ukraine against jet-propelled Shaheds," CNN reported. But CNN also reported that one source on the ground in Ukraine's Donetsk region said on Saturday morning that speeds in their area continued to be limited to 160 kilometres per hour, and Reuters noted that the defence ministry did not say whether service had been fully restored. The Ukrainian military does not disclose the systems' maximum operating speeds.
What changed between Friday and Saturday?
The position reversed overnight. Up until Friday evening, Ukrainian officials were saying the restrictions still persisted, despite President Donald Trump having said on Thursday that SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk had restored access. "Unfortunately, the situation remains the same, and we still have the limits imposed," Denys Sienik, Kyiv's top diplomat in Washington, told CNN on Friday, adding that Ukraine was receiving "mixed messages." Five Ukrainian officials told Reuters the same day that the caps disrupting connections above 160 km/h remained, and presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said Ukraine was "not observing any lifting of speed limits." Trump asked Musk in a phone call in recent days to restore Ukraine's full access, a person familiar with the matter told CNN; Trump has declined to comment on the call publicly, telling reporters: "Whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn't make any difference, I guess. The bottom line — he put it back."
Why do the speeds matter?
The caps, in place since October 13, cut connections for terminals moving faster than about 160 km/h (100 mph). Ukrainian officials said that hindered interceptor drones defending against Russian jet-powered attack drones flying far faster, disrupted operations along the front line and forced the cancellation of some operations, Reuters and CNN reported. "It makes coordination difficult; sometimes there are interruptions. The connection drops out for 10 to 15 seconds," a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer told CNN, adding: "We lost a lot of assets, much more than usual." Ukraine does not rely on the systems for long-range drone operations on Russian territory, but Starlink is vital for frontline communications, and Starshield is used for military operations in occupied territories, Reuters reported. Who imposed the limits remains disputed on the record: neither Musk nor the US government has acknowledged responsibility, each has said publicly that any such decision could only have been taken by the other, and Reuters has reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House. Musk said in a social media post last week that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," CNN reported.
This report is drawn from CNN's report of October 23, 2026, updated on Saturday, October 24, opened and read in full; Reuters' October 24, 2026 report, opened and read in full via The Business Standard's verbatim Reuters carriage; and Reuters' October 23, 2026 report that the curbs remained, read via search. The restoration is published as Ukraine's defence ministry and president stated it, with the Donetsk-region report of continuing limits and the ministry's silence on full restoration carried alongside, as reported.
