Ukraine says Starlink speeds restored after SpaceX throttled service

Ukrainian officials announced that Starlink and Starshield satellite links have been restored to full speeds after restrictions that disrupted military operations for more than a week. The restoration came after Elon Musk acknowledged on social media that his company SpaceX had throttled the service in Ukraine.

Musk said the speed restrictions were imposed because the Ukrainian military had violated Starlink's terms of service by using the satellite links for offensive drone strikes. He stated that the service could not be used to kill people. Ukrainian defence officials disputed this account, saying that technical limitations had prevented such usage and that the speed restrictions had instead hampered their operations during Russian assaults.

The episode strained relations between Kyiv and Washington at a time when the relationship was already under pressure from other geopolitical developments. Starlink's military-grade service had become central to Ukraine's drone operations and communications for fast-moving equipment at the front.

According to reports, the restrictions on Starlink service disrupted Ukrainian military operations for more than a week before being lifted. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that access had been restored to pre-restriction speeds.

Meanwhile, Ukraine continued to face ongoing drone strikes on its urban centers and military positions. Separately, reports indicated that Ukrainian drone operations caused casualties in Russia's Belgorod region, with at least three deaths reported.

Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were reported to be scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi next month, according to one account of developments during the period of service disruption.