SpaceX Starlink and Starshield Return to Normal Speeds in Ukraine After Throttling

Ukraine announced on Saturday that SpaceX's Starlink satellite network and its military counterpart, Starshield, have returned to full functionality following over a week of throttling that disrupted military operations. Ukraine's defense ministry confirmed that connections remained stable at speeds over 400 kilometers per hour (kph), lifting a previous cap of 160 kph that had hampered the military's ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of several operations. While Ukraine does not use the satellite systems for long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, the networks remain vital for frontline communications and medium-range battlefield attack drones. Neither Elon Musk nor the US government has publicly taken responsibility for the restrictions, though Reuters previously reported that the order to throttle Starshield originated from inside the White House after US administrations repeatedly asked SpaceX to alter service across multiple regions. "The main thing for today is that Starlink and Starshield have resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds. The speeds are now at the level we need." — Volodymyr Zelenskiy