Ukraine: Khmara Confirms Full Starlink Speeds Restored

Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced on Saturday that the country's access to the Starlink satellite network is stable again. He confirmed that military units can now operate at speeds above 400km/h, a metric that signals the restoration of full capability after several days of restricted connectivity.

The network is critical for Ukraine's military operations, specifically for piloting drones and managing logistics in remote areas of the battlefield. The military utilizes both the civilian Starlink service and the secure Starshield system, which Musk has stated is controlled by the US military. Khmara noted that the recovery of these speeds is vital for frontline soldiers, drone operations, and communications.

The restrictions emerged last week when Ukrainian officials claimed that US President Donald Trump instructed Starlink owner Elon Musk to impose speed limits. Under those constraints, drones reportedly lost connection when traveling at 161km/h or faster. Trump initially denied issuing such an order but later stated that Musk had resolved the issue by putting the speeds back. The dispute occurred against a backdrop of diplomatic tension between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.

The conflict over satellite access coincides with broader trade and defense disagreements. With US midterm elections scheduled for next month, Trump has waived certain sanctions on Russia and agreed to import Russian diesel for the US market. European allies and Kyiv have criticized this move, arguing it aids Moscow's war effort. Trump contends that Ukrainian strikes on refineries have driven up global fuel prices, while Kyiv maintains that such attacks are necessary to reduce Russian revenue. Zelensky also alleged that the US threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes continued, a claim Trump denied.

Combat operations continue on the ground despite the technical resolution. The Russian defence ministry reported on Saturday that its air defences shot down 616 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones. These strikes hit several regions, including Russian-annexed Crimea, where Governor Sergey Aksyonov said electricity and water restrictions were implemented due to power cuts caused by the attacks.

Ukrainian authorities stated that in the past 24 hours, they targeted a missile component manufacturer, a chemical plant, and an aircraft at a military airfield inside Russia. They also reported that Russia executed 88 air strikes on Friday, deploying 309 glide bombs and 10,270 kamikaze drones.