Starlink and Starshield speeds restored in Ukraine after week of throttling

Ukraine announced on Saturday, Oct 24, 2026, that the Starlink satellite internet system and its military version Starshield have returned to high‑speed operation after more than a week of throttling. The slowdown followed President Donald Trump's announcement of a deal to buy Russian diesel and his urging of Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries. Ukrainian defence officials said the reduced speeds hampered the army’s ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of several missions. The ministry’s Telegram post said connectivity is now stable at speeds exceeding 400 km per hour, though it did not confirm whether service is fully restored. During the restriction period, speeds above 160 kph were problematic. Starlink remains essential for frontline communications, while Starshield supports operations in occupied territories; neither system is used for long‑range drone strikes into Russia. The throttling sparked outrage in Kyiv and coincided with disruptions to allied warnings of incoming Russian missiles, though the government said U.S. intelligence continued to flow. Neither SpaceX owner Elon Musk nor the U.S. government has admitted responsibility; both have publicly claimed the decision could only have been taken by the other. Reuters reported that the order to limit Starshield originated inside the White House. President Trump said on Friday, Oct 23, 2026, that he would “get it straightened out” if the issue persisted. ## Context Starlink is a commercial satellite broadband service operated by SpaceX, and Starshield is its classified military variant offered to allied forces. Throttling such services can disrupt real‑time communications and intelligence sharing in active conflict zones.