Starlink and Starshield Have Restored Service in Ukraine, According to the Ministry of Defense

The Starlink and Starshield satellite communication systems began operating while traveling at speeds exceeding 161 km/h. This was reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense in a statement to the media.

News of the resumption of operations at the satellite communication terminals emerged on the morning of October 24.

According to a source cited by journalists, specialists began testing to verify the stability of Starshield’s operation while moving at high speeds.

An unnamed source stated that the Ukrainian military is determining the performance limits of the satellite communication terminals at various speeds and verifying whether the system has been fully restored.

However, no details of the testing are currently available. In particular, it is unknown whether the terminals were tested directly under combat conditions.

It also remains unconfirmed whether the nighttime power outages in occupied Crimea on October 24 were related to Starshield’s operation.

Volunteer Serhiy Sternenko, who supplies drones to the Ukrainian Defense Forces, responded to the news about the resumption of Starlink operations.

According to him, service members from several units confirmed that restrictions on terminal operation while traveling at speeds exceeding 160 km/h have been lifted.

However, no official details regarding the operating conditions of the satellite systems, the results of testing, or the full extent of the lifted restrictions have been released yet.

As a reminder, U.S. President Donald Trump personally called SpaceX founder Elon Musk to demand that speed and operational restrictions on Starshield—the military version of the Starlink satellite system for the Ukrainian military—be lifted. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the situation with Starlink during the war in Ukraine has heightened Ottawa’s concerns about its dependence on foreign technology. He emphasized the need to diversify suppliers to protect the country’s sovereignty.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the operational speed of Starlink and Starshell has not yet been restored, and the delivery of interceptor missiles to defend against Russian ballistic attacks is being delayed.

For many years, U.S. authorities have asked SpaceX to either restrict or expand the operation of the Starlink satellite communication system in various countries, including Ukraine, Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon.