Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink access is coming back after sudden disruption

Ukraine’s access to military-grade Starlink services appears to have been at least partially restored on Thursday after sudden limits disrupted service a day earlier. Ukrainian defense ministry sources told Business Insider that Starshield services remained functional while in motion as of roughly 11:45 a.m. local time Thursday, based on reports from military units.

Yehor Cherniev, deputy chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s national security, defense, and intelligence committee, said Starshield services had been restored to their pre-disruption capacity. The defense ministry is still working to understand how and why the disruption happened.

Ukrainian officials and service members said the disruption restricted speeds above 100 miles per hour, while some units experienced connection loss at speeds as low as 45 miles per hour. Yuriy, an officer with Ukraine’s National Guard, said his units use Starshield to support drone operations and that speeds were back above 100 miles per hour Thursday morning.

Defense ministry sources said the restrictions complicated mid-range strikes, air defense intercepts, and front-line logistics. Business Insider reported that Starlink does not work inside Russia, so the issue was limited to missions in Ukrainian territory or Russian-occupied territory.

The disruption caused confusion and raised questions about who ordered or triggered the limits. Ukrainian forces use Starlink, SpaceX’s commercial satellite internet service, and Starshield, a secure network for military and government work built by SpaceX but operated by the US government.

Elon Musk said on X that Starshield was “owned and controlled by the American government” and that limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the president. A senior US official told Business Insider that “no such request was ever made by the President,” while the Pentagon had not responded to requests for comment.

The incident highlights Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink for battlefield communications and drone warfare. Business Insider noted that Starlink’s rapid expansion has given Musk and SpaceX significant influence, with past decisions affecting Ukraine’s operations and Russian forces’ use of terminals.

The disruption also came amid pressure from the US over Ukraine’s strikes on Russian energy facilities. Cherniev said the US continues sharing intelligence with Kyiv, while Russia has intensified ballistic missile attacks against Ukraine, including recent attacks targeting Kyiv and Ukrainian energy facilities.