Ukrainian drones regain top speed after Starlink dispute ends
Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara confirmed Saturday that satellite connectivity has been fully restored, ending a period of restrictions that hampered military operations.
By Ayanda Boateng ·
Ukrainian military drones are once again capable of flying at speeds exceeding 400km/h, a metric Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara cited to confirm that full satellite capability has been restored. The announcement ended several days of restricted connectivity on the Starlink network, a system Kyiv relies on heavily for operations.
Khmara stated that the return to full speed is vital for the front line, specifically for drone operations, logistics, and communications. For weeks, Ukrainian forces have depended on both the civilian Starlink service and the military-grade Starshield to pilot drones and coordinate strikes. The recent limitations reportedly severed drone connections when they reached 161km/h, a threshold that slowed critical battlefield maneuvers.
The dispute followed accusations that US President Donald Trump instructed Elon Musk, the owner of Starlink, to impose these limits. Trump initially denied the order but later acknowledged that Musk had reinstated full service. The friction emerged during a diplomatic disagreement between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.
Ukraine’s military utilizes a network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites, particularly in remote areas where ground infrastructure is damaged. 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 the network, which creates blind spots when Ukraine launches long-range missiles or drones deep into Russian territory.
The timing of the resolution coincides with midterm elections in the US, where Trump has waived certain sanctions on Russia and agreed to import Russian diesel. European allies and Kyiv have criticized the move, arguing it weakens pressure on Moscow. Zelensky alleged that the US threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if Ukraine did not halt its strikes on refineries, a claim Trump denied.
Combat operations continued throughout the dispute. On Saturday, Russia’s defence ministry reported that air defences shot down 616 fixed-wing Ukrainian drones. These strikes affected several regions, including Russian-annexed Crimea, where Governor Sergey Aksyonov said power and water restrictions were necessary due to the damage.
Ukrainian authorities reported hitting a missile component manufacturer, a chemical plant, and an aircraft at a military airfield within Russia over the past 24 hours. They also stated that Russia conducted 88 air strikes on Friday, deploying 309 glide bombs and 10,270 kamikaze drones.
