Trending
Prev Story
Next Story

Ukraine says Starlink connection 'now stable' after network limits

BBC News •
October 24, 2026 • 11:17 AM
1
1 reads 0 reactions

The slowed Starlink connections had affected the Ukraine's military and drone operations for a week.

Ukraine says Starlink connection 'now stable' after network limits

Ukraine now has a "stable connection" to Starlink, its defence minister has said, after its military suffered days of restricted connectivity on the satellite network.

Kyiv relies on the Starlink and its military-grade counterpart Starshield for piloting drones and operations within Ukraine, but last week accused US President Donald Trump of telling owner Elon Musk to place limits on it.

This meant drones would lose connection when travelling at 161km/h (100mph) or more, it said. Trump denied doing so before saying Musk had "put it back".

Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said that speeds of more than 400km/h were now possible on the network, indicating that full capability had been restored.

"This result is above all important for our front, for our soldiers, for the operation of drones, for logistics and for communications," he said in a statement on Saturday.

Ukraine's military uses the network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites extensively for military operations, particularly in remote areas on the battlefield.

Ukraine uses both the civilian service Starlink and the more secure Starshield, which Musk said was controlled by the US military when he suggested the Pentagon could be behind the recent issues.

Russia is not authorised to use Starlink, so when Ukraine sends long-range missiles or drones deep into Russia to hit oil refineries, the network does not work.

The debacle over Starlink began last week, and emerged during a broader diplomatic row between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.

Faced with midterm elections next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed a deal to import Russian diesel for the US market - a move criticised by Ukraine and its European allies.

Trump said the strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Kyiv says are crucial to stemming the main revenue source for Moscow's war effort, have pushed global prices higher.

While the attacks have had an impact on global fuel prices, rises seen this year have primarily been due to the Iran war .

Zelensky said that, as well as seemingly limiting Starlink capability in Ukraine, the US had also threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes did not stop, something Trump also denied.

Meanwhile, fighting on the ground continues.

Russian authorities said on Saturday there were power cuts in Russian-annexed Crimea following a Ukrainian drone attack.

Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-backed governor of the region, said restrictions on electricity and water had been put in place.

Separately, Russian-backed authorities said at least three people had been killed and another wounded in a separate Ukrainian strike in Kharkiv.

Prev Swipe Story Next

Same Story from Other Publications

Compare how 5 other independent news outlets reported on this story.

5 Publications
CNN International
3h ago
Europe and Ukraine get a boost in peace talks, but Putin is playing for time | CNN

Europe and Ukraine get a boost in peace talks, but Putin is playing for time | CNN

The Russians appear to have agreed to give Europe a seat at the negotiating table. Whether it spurs progress towards peace remains to be seen

#ukraine #trump
Compare →
The Guardian
1d ago
Putin says Russia would target foreign troops deployed to Ukraine

Putin says Russia would target foreign troops deployed to Ukraine

Hardline remarks come as Ukrainian military faces disruptions to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service

#ukraine #starlink
Compare →
Al Jazeera English
6h ago
Europe seeks seat at Ukraine peace talks but lacks unified voice

Europe seeks seat at Ukraine peace talks but lacks unified voice

EU leaders believe a US-backed process will allow Moscow and Washington to decide the fate of a conflict.

#ukraine
Compare →
Hamro Patro News
20h ago
Putin Agrees to Include European Representatives in Future Ukraine Peace Talks

Putin Agrees to Include European Representatives in Future Ukraine Peace Talks

Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to include European representatives in the upcoming peace talks with Ukraine. US Special Envoy Steve Vitkoff gave this information on Thursday af...

#ukraine
Compare →
Ars Technica
1d ago
Ukraine says it can’t stop Russian strikes because Starshield is limited again

Ukraine says it can’t stop Russian strikes because Starshield is limited again

Report: Ukraine suspects speeds limits are intended to help Russia in peace talks.

#ukraine
Compare →

Related Stories

World News
Build #2611