Ukraine’s Starlink and Starshield links now work for drones flying faster than 400 km/h, Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday. A speed cap had cut the link for fast-moving drones since 14 October.
Khmara told reporters that the defence ministry’s own monitoring systems show the speeds are back and the connection is stable, Ukrinform reported. TNW has not independently verified the figures.
Starshield is the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink network. The speed matters because Russia’s jet attack drones fly at about 400 km/h, and Ukraine’s drones must keep up to catch them.
Under the Starshield speed cap, interceptors lost the link above about 161 km/h. On Friday, Ukrainian officials told Politico that drones were still losing signal above 160 km/h.
That was a day after US President Donald Trump said SpaceX chief Elon Musk had restored the service, Kyiv Post reported. Also on Friday, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Trump that Ukraine needed full access to Starlink, ITV reported, citing Downing Street.
Khmara said direct talks and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s stance brought the change. He said the ministry will keep checking how the network works.
However, it is still unclear who ordered the cap or who lifted it. Musk has said that the US military, and ultimately the president, decide any limits on Starshield.
Meanwhile, several European satellite firms are competing to offer Ukraine a backup to Starlink.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.