Ukraine's Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced that the country now has a "stable connection" to Starlink, following several days of restricted connectivity on the satellite network. The Ukrainian military relies heavily on Starlink and its military-grade counterpart, Starshield, for piloting drones and conducting operations within Ukraine.
Background on Connectivity Issues
Last week, Ukraine accused US President Donald Trump of instructing Elon Musk, the owner of Starlink, to impose limits on the network. These restrictions reportedly caused drones to lose connection when traveling at speeds of 161 km/h (100 mph) or more. Trump denied these claims, later stating that Musk had "put it back" to normal.
Restoration of Service
Khmara confirmed that speeds exceeding 400 km/h are now achievable on the network, indicating that full operational capability has been restored. He emphasized the importance of this development:
“"This result is above all important for our front, for our soldiers, for the operation of drones, for logistics and for communications."
Ukraine's military utilizes a network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites extensively for military operations, particularly in remote battlefield areas. The country employs both the civilian Starlink service and the more secure Starshield, which Musk indicated is controlled by the US military.
