Ukraine says Starlink and Starshield speed limits lifted, connection stable above 400 km/h

Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on October 24 that speed limits on Starlink and its military version, Starshield, used by the country's armed forces, had been lifted and that the connection was stable at speeds above 400 km/h, The Kyiv Independent, Reuters and Interfax-Ukraine reported.

What changed

"We record a speed of more than 400 km/h, the connection is stable," the ministry told reporters. Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara said the ministry continues to monitor how Starlink and Starshield are working. The ministry credited direct dialogue and the persistent position of Ukraine's President at the highest level, and said the result matters above all for the front, drones, logistics and communications.

Since mid-October Starshield had been running at limited capacity, with the speed cap reduced to about 160 km/h. That hampered Ukraine's defence against Russia's jet-powered drones and its coordination of strikes on Russian targets.

Who decided

No one has publicly taken responsibility for the restriction. The Wall Street Journal reported on October 23 that US President Donald Trump had ordered SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk on October 21 to lift it. Trump said he had not spoken to Musk about the issue and had "heard it's fixed". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 23 that the speed restrictions were still in place, and US Senator Richard Blumenthal announced a probe into who ordered them.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in Istanbul on October 23 that restricting Ukraine's access to Starshield had caused direct casualties, and warned of the risks of depending too heavily on a single country or private technology company.