Ukraine Still Recording Starshield Connectivity Losses at 161 Kph, Defense Ministry Source Says

Ukraine is still recording satellite connectivity losses at speeds of 161 kph (100 mph), with no confirmation that restrictions on Starlink and Starshield have been lifted, a source in Ukraine’s defense ministry told Kyiv Post on Friday, Oct. 23.

“Ukraine’s Defense Forces and defense ministry specialists are continuously monitoring Starlink/Starshield connections and recording the results. As of this morning, cases of connectivity loss at speeds of 161 kph are still being observed,” the source said.

“There is currently no confirmation that the restrictions have been lifted,” the person added.

Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, also said in a Facebook post that there was no evidence the restrictions had been removed.

“We are not currently seeing the restrictions on Starlink being lifted. There are occasional cases when Starlink can move somewhat faster than the limit, but these are likely the result of SpaceX’s algorithms or specific operating conditions, rather than the removal of the restriction,” Beskrestnov wrote.

The latest assessment comes a day after US President Donald Trump said Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s satellite service, but did not confirm whether he had personally intervened to lift the restrictions. 

“I guess the bottom line, he put it back,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, responding to a Wall Street Journal report that he had called Musk and asked him to restore the service.

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It remains unclear whether the reported restoration has significantly improved Ukraine’s satellite communications capabilities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview published Thursday that restrictions were still affecting Ukraine’s military satellite communications.

“Now it’s still limited,” Zelensky said.

CNN reported that some Ukrainian military units saw higher connection speeds after the reported restoration, but improvements were uneven, and restrictions remained.

A source familiar with the situation told CNN that the available speeds were “clearly not enough to intercept jet-powered drones.”

Starlink restrictions undermine Ukraine’s interceptor drones

On Oct. 17, Zelensky said Starlink speeds in Ukraine had been capped at 161 kph, making the system unusable for some interceptor drones designed to destroy Russian jet-powered Shahed attack drones and endangering Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian attacks. 

“When an Iranian drone goes with a speed of 450 or 500 kph [280 to 311 mph], and you limit [the speed] one night to 70 or even 100, you cannot intercept anything,” Zelensky told CNN. “And this is terrible.”

Zelensky said Ukraine does not use Starlink to attack Russian military or energy targets inside Russia.

“We don’t attack Russian military targets or energy targets using Starlink. Never,” he said. “That’s why it was strange they limited us in Ukraine. It means limiting our ability to defend ourselves.”

The inability to intercept Russian drones effectively has become a major threat to Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. 

Ukraine’s acting chargé d’affaires in the United States, Denys Senik, previously said Kyiv was awaiting an official response from the Pentagon and SpaceX on the full restoration of Starshield services. The system’s performance remained unstable, he said.

According to The Telegraph, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk proposed that Trump restrict Starlink speeds in Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that Trump called Musk and asked him to lift the speed restrictions imposed by the SpaceX chief.

Responsibility for restrictions remains unclear

Asked who ordered the restrictions, Zelensky said he did not know whether the decision came from SpaceX or US government institutions.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Technically, I think SpaceX can do it. But whether the decision comes from them or from some institutions, I don’t know.”

Musk said Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade satellite service, is controlled by the US government.

But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has maintained that Starlink is a commercial product whose operating decisions are made by SpaceX, while saying Ukraine’s request for broader access to Starshield remained under discussion.

The Pentagon has denied issuing instructions to slow the system.