Ukraine Confirms Starlink Speeds Fully Restored After Ten-Day Dispute

Ukrainian military forces have regained full-speed access to Starlink satellite communications after a ten-day restriction.

The government announced on Saturday that the connection is now stable, ending a period of operational constraints that began abruptly earlier this month.

During the restriction, terminals were capped at a speed of 160km/h (99mph). This limit caused several combat missions to fail and hindered the military's ability to intercept Russian attack drones.

Some operations targeting assets behind enemy lines were cancelled due to the reduced bandwidth. Russia also fired ballistic missiles at Ukraine without advance warning from the United States during the freeze.

The timing of the speed limits coincided with President Donald Trump's announcement of a US deal to purchase Russian diesel. Trump initially denied his administration was responsible for 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 defended Trump last Wednesday, stating that the president does not run the company and cannot direct its decisions. Rubio said, "The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr Musk."

Musk placed the responsibility on the US administration. He wrote on X that the systems are "owned and controlled by the US government" and that limits are decided by the US military and the president.

Vice-President JD Vance backed Musk on Thursday, arguing that the billionaire does not want to intervene in a war between state actors without effective direction from the US government.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed both parties for the disruption. He noted that Starshield terminals in EU countries faced no similar restrictions.

"It was a message from [the] American government to limit the speed," Zelenskyy said, "and technically, SpaceX did it." He described the move as a planned operation that risked human losses.

Zelenskyy confirmed the restoration of full speeds in a video address on Telegram on Saturday. He thanked US allies, including Trump and the State Department, for resolving the issue overnight. By morning, speeds were sufficient for frontline logistics and defense against jet-powered Shahed drones.