SpaceX admits to slowing Starlink in Ukraine, restoring speeds after military complaints

Ukrainian forces regained full access to Starlink satellite internet on Saturday, ending a period of reduced speeds that military commanders said hampered logistics and drone strikes. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on social media that the restoration began overnight and was complete by Saturday morning, improving the defense against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.

Elon Musk acknowledged on X that SpaceX was responsible for the slowdown. He stated that using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people had never been allowed. Musk argued that the Ukrainian military violated the terms of service by employing the system for such attacks and that the company closed the loophole last week.

Zelenskyy noted that the restrictions affected front-line operations for more than a week. He described the restoration as necessary for front-line logistics and defense. Before the speeds were normalized, questions persisted over who ordered the interruptions to the system Kyiv has relied on for years.

Musk maintained that the U.S. government controls changes to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink that supports Ukraine's drone operations and communications. He defended SpaceX's role in strengthening Ukraine's defenses since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian military and government officials had previously reported lost drones and disrupted missions due to the Starshield restrictions.

The resolution occurred as U.S. diplomatic efforts to end the war accelerated. Russia agreed on Wednesday to resume three-way talks with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a localized ceasefire around Oleshky in the southern Kherson region, a move brokered by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara credited direct dialogue and Zelenskyy's diplomacy with Washington for the outcome. He said the result mattered most for the front, the military, drone work, logistics, and communications. The episode added strain to relations between Kyiv and Washington, which were already tested by a reported U.S. deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not make the call but that Musk should not be blamed. Vice President JD Vance hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth denied any administration involvement in the decision.