400km/h: The Speed Threshold That Marked the End of Ukraine's Starlink Blackout

Ukraine has confirmed that its access to Starlink satellite internet is stable again, ending a period of restricted connectivity that hampered military operations. Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced the restoration in a statement on Saturday, October 24. He specified that speeds exceeding 400km/h are now possible on the network, a technical benchmark indicating that full capability has returned.

The disruption began last week when Ukrainian officials accused US President Donald Trump of instructing Elon Musk, the owner of Starlink, to impose speed limits. Under those restrictions, drones reportedly lost their signal when travelling at 161km/h (100mph) or faster. Trump initially denied giving such an order but later acknowledged that Musk had reversed the limits. Khmara stated that the restored speeds are essential for the front lines, soldiers, drone operations, logistics, and communications.

Ukraine relies heavily on Starlink and its military-grade counterpart, Starshield, to pilot drones and coordinate operations. The military utilizes the network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites extensively, particularly in remote battlefield areas. Musk has indicated that the US military controls Starshield and suggested the Pentagon may have been behind the recent connectivity issues. Russia is not authorized to use Starlink, which means the network does not function when Ukrainian forces send long-range missiles or drones deep into Russian territory to target oil refineries.

The technical dispute arose during a wider diplomatic conflict between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. With US midterm elections due next month, Trump waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to a deal importing Russian diesel for the US market. European allies and Ukraine criticized this move. Trump argued that strikes on Russian refineries pushed global fuel prices higher, while Kyiv maintained that the attacks were vital to cutting Moscow's war revenue. Zelensky also claimed the US threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes continued, a threat Trump denied.

Fighting continued on the ground alongside the connectivity restoration. Russia's defence ministry reported on Saturday that its air defences shot down 616 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones. These drones struck several regions, including Russian-annexed Crimea. Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-backed governor of Crimea, said restrictions on electricity and water were introduced after the drone strikes caused power cuts.

Ukrainian authorities stated that in the past 24 hours, they targeted a missile component manufacturer, a chemical plant, and an aircraft at a military airfield inside Russia. They also reported that Russia carried out 88 air strikes on Friday, deploying 309 glide bombs and 10,270 kamikaze drones.