Ukraine Says Starshield Back To Normal After Week-Long Disruption, Elon Musk Accuses Kyiv Of Violating Starlink's Terms

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Ukraine said on Saturday (local time) that the Starlink satellite system and its military version Starshield are back to full functionality over the country, a week after speed throttling left the coutry's defnces vulnurable to Russian attacks. "The speeds are now where they need to be," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X, adding that restoration began overnight and were sufficient by Saturday morning, improving front-line logistics and defence against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.

"The main thing for today is that Starlink and Starshield have resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds. The speeds are now at the level we need," Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Also Read | Was White House behind Ukraine's Starlink, Starshield restriction? Trump reacts

According to Zelenskyy, the speeds started returning to normal overnight. Ukraine's defence ministry said on Saturday the connection remained stable at over 400 kph.

How Starlink restrictions affected Ukraine

Starshield is the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service and is controlled by the US government. Ukraine had been using Starshield for its drones used for intercepting incoming Russian strikes and to carry out attacks inside Russian territory, targeting infrastructure like oil refineries and data centers.

Also Read | What is Starshield, Starlink's 'military-grade' version? Explained

Last week, without any explanation, Starlink and Starshield satellite speeds in Ukraine were capped at 160 km/h, which led to the disruption of Ukrainian medium-range attack drones and frontline operations. The move, which neither the Pentagon nor SpaceX acknowledged as initiated by them, coincided with US President Donald Trump announcing a partial waiver on Russian oil sanctions and an "energy ceasefire " between the two warring sides, claiming that Russia and Ukraine agreed to stop attacking each other's power and energy infrastructure. This had led to speculation that the Pentagon was behind the restrictions that disrupted Ukraine's frontline operations ahead of the crucial winter.

Ukraine violated Starlink's terms: Musk

But on Saturday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accused the Ukrainian military of violating the company's terms. Neither Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield using Starlink technology, had taken responsibility for imposing the curbs.

"Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week," Musk said on X.

Also Read | Ukraine's Starlink restrictions: Why is 'Starshield' important in battlefield

Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said on the Telegram app that the country is "physically unable" to use Starlink for long- and medium-range attack drone operations.

Ukraine does not rely on Starlink for long-range drone operations on Russian territory, including attacks on refineries. It operates at speeds no higher than 70-90 kph.

But it remains vital for frontline communications, and the deployment of fast Starshield-enabled medium-range attack drones has helped Ukraine gain the upper hand in several areas of the battlefield this year.

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