Khmara Confirms Full Starlink Speeds Return for Ukraine

Ukraine’s defence minister, Yevhenii Khmara, announced on Saturday that the country’s access to the Starlink satellite network has returned to full stability. He stated that speeds exceeding 400km/h are once again possible, marking the end of several days where the military operated under strict connectivity restrictions.

Khmara emphasized that the restoration is vital for front-line operations. "This result is above all important for our front, for our soldiers, for the operation of drones, for logistics and for communications," he said in a statement. The speed threshold serves as a technical indicator that the network’s full capability has been recovered.

The disruption began last week when Ukrainian officials accused US President Donald Trump of directing Starlink owner Elon Musk to impose limits. Under those restrictions, drones reportedly lost their connection when traveling at 161km/h or faster. Trump denied giving the instruction but later confirmed that Musk had restored the settings. Ukraine relies on both civilian Starlink and the military-grade Starshield to pilot drones and manage operations across the battlefield, particularly in remote areas.

The technical issues emerged amidst a diplomatic dispute between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. With US midterm elections approaching next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to import Russian diesel. Kyiv and its European allies have criticized this move. Trump argues that Ukrainian strikes on refineries have raised global fuel prices, while Kyiv maintains that these attacks are essential to cutting Moscow’s war revenue. The US also threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes continued, a claim Trump denied.

The network remains a critical asset for Ukraine because Russia is not authorized to use Starlink. This limitation prevents the system from functioning when Ukraine sends long-range missiles or drones deep into Russian territory to target oil refineries. Musk has indicated that Starshield is controlled by the US military, suggesting the Pentagon may have been involved in the recent connectivity problems.

On the ground, fighting continued on Saturday. Russia’s defence ministry reported that its air defences shot down 616 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones that struck several regions, including Crimea. Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-backed governor of Crimea, said electricity and water restrictions were implemented after drone strikes caused power cuts. Ukrainian authorities stated that in the past 24 hours, they hit a missile component manufacturer, a chemical plant, and an aircraft at a military airfield inside Russia. They also reported that Russia carried out 88 air strikes on Friday using 309 glide bombs and 10,270 kamikaze drones.