Ukrainian Drones Fly Again at Full Speed After Starlink Outage Ends

Ukrainian forces regained full access to high-speed satellite internet on Saturday, ending a period of restrictions that forced the military to limit drone speeds and operations. Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced that speeds of more than 400 kilometers per hour are now possible on the Starlink network. This restoration allows military hardware to operate without the connectivity loss that previously triggered when devices traveled at 161 kilometers per hour or faster.

The change directly affects front-line combat and rear-echelon logistics. Khmara stated that the return to full capability is essential for soldiers, drone operations, and communications across the battlefield. The Ukrainian military relies heavily on a network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites to pilot drones and coordinate strikes, particularly in remote areas where ground infrastructure is limited. The country uses both the civilian Starlink service and the more secure Starshield variant for these tasks.

The connectivity issues emerged last week amid diplomatic tensions between Washington and Kyiv. Ukrainian officials accused President Donald Trump of instructing Elon Musk, the owner of Starlink, to impose the speed limits. Trump initially denied giving such an order but later confirmed that Musk had "put it back" to normal settings. Musk suggested the US military, which controls Starshield, may have been behind the recent disruptions.

The dispute coincides with a wider diplomatic row over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. With midterm elections due next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to import Russian diesel. Kyiv and its European allies have criticized this move, arguing that the strikes on refineries are necessary to cut Moscow's war revenue. Trump contends that the attacks have pushed global fuel prices higher, a point Kyiv disputes, noting that increases this year are largely due to the Iran war.

The US also threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes did not stop, a claim Trump denied. Zelensky noted that the US apparently limited Starlink access in Ukraine during this period. The network does not function in Russian territory because Russia is not authorized to use it, which limits Ukraine's ability to track long-range missiles and drones deep into enemy lines.

Fighting continued on the ground as the connectivity issues resolved. Russia's defense ministry reported on Saturday that its air defenses shot down 616 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones. These strikes hit multiple regions, including Crimea, where Governor Sergey Aksyonov said power cuts forced local authorities to restrict electricity and water supplies. Ukrainian authorities stated that they hit a missile component manufacturer, a chemical plant, and an aircraft inside Russia in the past 24 hours.

Ukrainian data shows Russia conducted 88 air strikes on Friday using 309 glide bombs and 10,270 kamikaze drones. The restoration of Starlink speeds removes a technical bottleneck that had constrained the tempo of Ukrainian drone warfare during the recent diplomatic standoff.