Follow-Up: Ukraine Says Starlink and Starshield Back Above 400 kph After Week of Throttling
Ukraine's defence minister Evhenii Khmara said on Saturday, October 24, that the Starlink satellite communications system and its military version, Starshield, are again operating at speeds of more than 400 kilometres per hour, with a stable connection. For more than a week before that, the systems had been restricted in Ukraine, slowing connections and disrupting military operations.
"The Ministry of Defence's monitoring systems are recording a return to normal speed for Starlink/Starshield. We are recording a speed of over 400 kph. The connection is stable," Khmara told reporters. The Ukrainian military does not disclose the systems' maximum operating speeds, and the defence ministry did not say whether service had been fully restored. The ministry said its monitoring systems had previously recorded disruptions to the Starlink/Starshield service and that the speed metrics have now returned to normal.
The restrictions were first reported on October 14. Ukrainian officials said speeds had been cut to about 160 kph or less, undermining Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian attack drones and disrupting frontline communications. Ukraine's problems with the SpaceX-owned system came after President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and waived new sanctions on Moscow while pressing Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries.
Neither SpaceX chief Elon Musk nor the US government has acknowledged responsibility for restricting Starlink or Starshield in Ukraine; both have said publicly that any such decision could only have been taken by the other. Reuters has reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House. Trump said on Friday that if problems with access to Starlink systems in Ukraine persisted, he would get it straightened out.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 乌克兰军人正在安装星链终端天线。照片：乌克兰武装部队支援部队司令部，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。（2022年资料图） / A Ukrainian service member installs a Starlink terminal antenna. Photo: Support Forces Command of Ukraine, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. (2022 file photo)
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