Starlink Throttling: Ukraine Speeds Restored After Seven-Day Cut

Starlink satellite internet speeds in Ukraine returned to prior levels on Saturday after SpaceX imposed restrictions that disrupted front-line operations for more than a week. Elon Musk said on X that he ordered the slowdown of the civilian Starlink service, stating that using it for offensive drone strikes has never been permitted under its terms of service. He said that loophole was closed last week.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Starlink and Starshield links were operating at their earlier speeds. "The speeds are now where they need to be," Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that restoration began overnight and was sufficient by Saturday morning, improving logistics and defence against Russian Shahed drones. Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara credited "direct dialogue" and Zelenskyy's diplomacy with Washington for the outcome, which he said mattered most "for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics and communications."

Questions over who ordered the speed reductions surfaced last week after Ukrainian commanders reported lost drones and disrupted missions. Musk said the U.S. government controls any changes to Starshield, the military-grade satellite system that supports Ukraine's drone operations and communications. He also defended SpaceX's role in strengthening Ukrainian defences since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not make the call but also said Musk should not be blamed. Vice-President JD Vance has hinted at White House co-ordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement.

The restoration arrived as the U.S. pressed forward with diplomacy to end the war. Russia agreed on Wednesday to resume three-way talks with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a localized ceasefire around Oleshky, a town in the southern Kherson region, brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

Fighting continued. Local officials said a man was killed and two others wounded in a missile attack on Lozova in the Kharkiv region. Moscow-installed authorities in Crimea reported blackouts after overnight Ukrainian attacks.

Ukraine's General Staff said it struck a chemical plant in Talyatti producing rocket fuel materials and an electronics plant in Oryol that makes components for Russian missiles. Local officials said three people died in the Oryol attack. Ukrainian drones also reached Russia's Omsk region, more than 2,000 kilometres from the border, where online retailer Ozon said a drone hit its logistics centre with no casualties.