SpaceX Restores High-Speed Links for Ukraine After Two-Week Outage

Starshield satellite communications are operating at 400 kilometers per hour (250 mph) again, ending a two-week period of speed restrictions that limited Ukrainian military operations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the restoration on October 24 via Telegram, stating the speed is now "where we need it to be." He described the change as vital for logistics and for defending against jet-powered Shahed drones.

Starshield is a military service developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX that complements the commercial Starlink network. Ukraine relies on both systems for battlefield connectivity. Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service that Kyiv’s monitoring systems recorded restored connectivity on equipment moving faster than 400 kilometers per hour. Previously, links dropped at approximately 161 kilometers per hour (100 mph), a threshold that sharply constrained the ability of drone interceptors to maintain contact.

The identity of the party that imposed the limits remains ambiguous. Serhiy Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to Zelenskyy, suggested the restrictions may relate to recent tensions between Kyiv and Washington. However, no formal link has been established. Musk has stated that the US government controls Starshield, with the military and President Donald Trump making decisions on speed and usage.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Trump called Musk to urge him to lift the restrictions. Following that call, communications became more reliable. When asked about the report, Trump declined to provide specific details but said, "if there is a problem, I will get it straightened out." Khmara credited the resolution to "direct dialogue and the Ukrainian president's persistent stance."

Lawmakers in the US Congress are pressing for clarity. Democrats and some Republicans have demanded to know who authorized the speed changes. They also seek guarantees of reliable access for Ukraine going forward. The Trump administration maintains that neither the president nor any other US official requested the initial changes.

The outage occurred against a backdrop of diplomatic friction. In the past two weeks, Trump announced a deal encouraging Russian diesel exports and waived sanctions that were set to take effect under a law signed last month. He also urged Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, citing high diesel prices. Zelenskyy initially considered a pause in strikes but declared Kyiv "done" with unilateral pauses after Putin ordered continued strikes on Ukraine.

Combat continued overnight despite the communication fixes. Ukrainian air defense forces reported shooting down 100 of 130 drones launched by Russia. Attacks on 15 locations killed at least two people. Ukraine’s General Staff stated that its forces struck two industrial facilities and a military airport in Russia. One facility in Oryol, located 350 kilometers southwest of Moscow, manufactures components for cruise and ballistic missiles. The other in Togliatti produces rubber products used in solid rocket fuel.

Power outages also affected occupied Crimea. Most of the region lost electricity in the early hours of October 24, including Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, Kerch, and Feodosia. NetBlocks recorded a near-total loss of connectivity. Russian-installed authorities said mobile service covered only 40 percent of the area. Public electric transport in Sevastopol was suspended, and water pressure dropped. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of the occupation administration, blamed a drone attack on main power lines outside Crimea.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the power cut. Ukrainian monitoring channels reported a fire at the Taman electrical substation in Russia’s Krasnodar region, which supplies Crimea via the Kerch Strait. The cause of the blackout has not been independently confirmed. As a fifth wartime winter approaches, peace talks remain stalled with no concessions from the Kremlin.