Ukraine: “Starlink is working normally again”

[Financial News]  

Ukraine’s defense minister said the military’s Starlink satellite communications system had been operating normally again since the morning of the 24th (local time). Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite communications system appears to have resumed normal operations after a 10-day speed restriction.
According to foreign media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Ukraine’s Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara told reporters that tests using Starshield, the military version of Starlink, showed drones maintaining a stable communications link even at speeds exceeding 400 km/h.
Other Ukrainian government officials said they were testing whether satellite communications worked normally at even higher speeds. One official said, however, that they had received no explanation from the U.S. as to why the speed restriction on Starshield had suddenly been imposed.
SpaceX imposed a speed restriction on Ukraine’s Starshield service starting on the 14th. As a result, Ukrainian drones would often lose their communications link at speeds of around 160 km/h or lower. Because they had to fly at low speeds, the drones were exposed to Russian air defenses and were easily intercepted.
According to U.S. administration officials, Starshield’s return to normal followed President Donald Trump’s call to Musk on the 21st, during which he requested that Ukraine’s Starshield service be restored to normal.
In a post on his social media platform X on the 24th, Musk claimed that the Starshield speed restriction was not his decision. He said, “The use of Starlink, a civilian commercial service, to kill people with attack drones is not and never will be allowed.” He went on to stress, “Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the U.S. government,” adding, “The decision is theirs (the U.S. government’s).”
Musk also added, “The Ukrainian military violated Starlink’s terms of service and killed people with attack drones. This loophole was closed last week.”
He said that the Starshield service for Ukraine’s military, provided by SpaceX, falls under the purview of the U.S. administration, and declined to comment on why the speed was restricted. Ukraine said it had received no notification from SpaceX regarding the terms-of-service violation Musk claimed.

[email protected] Song Kyung-jae Reporter