On a Saturday that began with a small mercy, Ukraine announced that its military satellite links, lifelines for drone crews along the front, had returned to the speeds they held before a week of throttling. The fix did not settle the deeper question of who had reached into that lifeline and why, a question that answered itself only partly when Elon Musk later admitted SpaceX had acted and blamed Ukraine's use of the service for offensive strikes. Across a war now more than four years old, the restoration reads less like a resolution than a pause in a long argument about who controls the tools
Kyiv Says Starlink Restored as Drone War and Deadly Strikes Continue Across Ukraine and Russia
Russian missile and drone strikes killed several people and wounded many more across Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Oryol, including children, while Crimea suffered power cuts.
Musk admitted SpaceX had throttled the service hours after Kyiv said it was back
Mark
Starlink is back. Why does a connection speed matter so much?
Mimi
Ukraine relies on it for communications and drone missions. For more than a week, front-line drone operations against Russian forces were hampered, and the fix came only after talks with Washington.
Luke
Worth noting that Ukraine's claim of full restoration comes from Zelenskyy and Khmara. The reporting doesn't offer independent verification.
Mark
And who ordered the throttling?
Mimi
Musk admitted SpaceX did it, saying Ukraine broke the terms of service with offensive drone strikes. Trump had denied responsibility.
Luke
That's Musk's account of his reasons. Ukraine hasn't been quoted agreeing it violated the terms. His claim that the front would collapse immediately is also his own assessment, not something established.
Mark
He separated Starlink from Starshield.
Mimi
Yes, he said Starshield is controlled by the US government and its use is up to them. Yet Ukraine says both were restored.
Luke
Exactly, and the source doesn't explain who made the Starshield decision. That's unknown.
Mark
What comes next?
Mimi
Talks in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, and an Oleshky ceasefire starting October 27.
Luke
The talks are expected, not scheduled to a date. And strikes killed people on both sides' territory the same weekend.
Il Polso
- Ukraine's front-line drone operations stalled for more than a week when Starlink and Starshield speeds were throttled, and commanders scrambled to keep missions alive.
- Musk admitted SpaceX limited the service, accusing Ukraine's military of breaching terms by using it for offensive drone strikes, while Trump denied responsibility and sharpened tensions with Kyiv.
- Kyiv says speeds are back to pre-restriction levels, but the dispute over who controls the connection and under what rules remains unresolved.
- Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US are heading toward Abu Dhabi in early November, while a local Oleshky ceasefire is set to begin October 27.
- Missile and drone strikes continue to kill and wound civilians across Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Oryol, and Crimea faces power cuts.
On a Saturday that began with a small mercy, Ukraine announced that its military satellite links, lifelines for drone crews along the front, had returned to the speeds they held before a week of throttling. The fix did not settle the deeper question of who had reached into that lifeline and why, a question that answered itself only partly when Elon Musk later admitted SpaceX had acted and blamed Ukraine's use of the service for offensive strikes. Across a war now more than four years old, the restoration reads less like a resolution than a pause in a long argument about who controls the tools of defense, with diplomats from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington preparing to meet in Abu Dhabi while the strikes continue on both sides.
On Saturday, Ukraine's Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced that Starlink and Starshield connections were stable again on military equipment, after more than a week in which the restrictions had hobbled drone operations against Russian forces. He credited talks with Washington and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's diplomacy. Zelenskyy confirmed on X that access had returned to the speeds Ukraine had before, and that the restoration had begun overnight and was sufficient by morning.
Ukraine leans heavily on Elon Musk's satellite services for communications and drone missions, so the disruption cut deep. For days it was unclear who had ordered it. Donald Trump denied responsibility while defending Musk. Then Musk acknowledged that SpaceX had throttled the service, saying the Ukrainian military had broken the terms of service by using Starlink for offensive drone strikes, and that the loophole had been closed the week before. He also warned that the front line would "collapse immediately" without Starlink. Starshield, he added, is a separate system under US government control.
The episode deepened strain between Kyiv and Washington, already tense over Trump's temporary easing of sanctions on Russian diesel and his recent remarks about Ukraine's leadership. Even so, the US is pushing to revive talks. Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, and a local ceasefire in the occupied Oleshky area is set to begin on October 27.
The fighting has not paused. Russian strikes killed and wounded civilians in Lozova, Dnipropetrovsk, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, where three of the injured in Kramatorsk were children. Ukraine, in turn, reported strikes deep inside Russia, on a petrochemical plant in Togliatti, sites in Omsk, and a facility in Oryol, while Crimea suffered power cuts. The next markers are the Oleshky ceasefire and the Abu Dhabi meetings.
On Saturday, Ukraine's Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced that Starlink and Starshield satellite connections were stable again on military equipment moving faster than 400km/h (250mph). The restrictions had disrupted drone operations against Russian forces for more than a week. Khmara credited talks with Washington and the diplomacy of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy confirmed the restoration on X, saying access had returned to the speeds Ukraine had before the restrictions. "The speeds are now where they need to be," he wrote, adding that restoration began overnight and that speeds were already sufficient by morning.
Ukraine depends heavily on Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite services for communications and drone missions. Until now it had been unclear who ordered the restrictions. US President Donald Trump denied responsibility while defending Musk. Hours after Kyiv said the connection was back to normal, Musk acknowledged that SpaceX had throttled the service in Ukraine. In a post on X he said the Ukrainian military had violated Starlink's terms of service by using it for offensive drone strikes, and that the loophole was closed the previous week. Starlink is a civilian commercial service, he argued, and using it to kill people was never allowed. Starshield, he said, is a different system controlled by the US government, and its use is up to Washington.
Musk also said Ukraine's front line would "collapse immediately" if Starlink were turned off, and wrote that SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any other private company on Earth.
The episode added strain to relations between Kyiv and Washington, already under pressure over Trump's agreement to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel and allow US imports. Earlier this month Trump called for Ukraine to have a new president, and on Monday he suggested someone other than Zelenskyy should negotiate for Kyiv. The exchanges follow their public confrontation at the White House in February 2025.
The restoration comes as the US tries to revive talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US are expected to meet in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the plan on Friday, and Zelenskyy announced agreement on technical-level meetings. Separately, Trump credited his wife, Melania Trump, with securing a local ceasefire in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, which Russian forces have occupied since 2022. Later statements from Ukraine and Russia said it will begin on October 27, with a humanitarian operation planned for October 29.
The fighting did not pause. A Russian missile strike on Lozova, in the Kharkiv region, killed one man and wounded two on Saturday, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. A Russian drone attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed at least three people and injured eight, according to acting Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko. On Friday, an attack on Kramatorsk in Donetsk killed one person and wounded six, three of them children, officials said. In nearby Sloviansk, a 62-year-old woman was killed and four people were wounded, Mayor Vadym Lyakh said.
Ukraine also reported strikes inside Russia on Friday and overnight into Saturday. At the Togliattikauchuk petrochemical plant in Togliatti, a major synthetic rubber producer, Mayor Ilya Sukhikh confirmed industrial damage but no casualties. Ukrainian company Fire Point said its drones hit a petrochemical plant and an Ozon warehouse in Omsk; Governor Vitaly Khotsenko said Ukrainian drones had targeted an industrial area. Kyiv claimed strikes on the Proton electronics plant in Oryol, which it says makes missile components, and Governor Andrei Klychkov reported three deaths in an attack on an unidentified facility. Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea reported power cuts after overnight Ukrainian attacks.
The next markers are the Oleshky ceasefire on October 27 and the Abu Dhabi meetings in early November.
Citazioni salienti
The speeds are now where they need to be.— Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on X
Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people.— Elon Musk, on X
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