Ukraine Satellite Link: Defense Chief Confirms 400km/h Drone Speeds Restored

Ukraine says its satellite internet connection is stable again.

Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced the restoration of full capabilities on Saturday. He stated that speeds above 400km/h are once more possible on the network. Khmara called the result important for the front, soldiers, drone operations, logistics, and communications.

The military relies on Starlink and Starshield to pilot drones and run operations inside Ukraine. Last week, Ukrainian officials accused US President Donald Trump of instructing Elon Musk to impose limits. Under those restrictions, drones reportedly lost connection when travelling at 161km/h or faster. Trump denied giving that instruction but later said Musk had put the service back.

Ukraine uses the network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites extensively in remote battlefield areas. Musk noted that Starshield is controlled by the US military and suggested the Pentagon might be behind the recent problems. Russia is not authorized to use Starlink. Consequently, the network does not function when Ukraine sends long-range missiles or drones deep into Russian territory to hit oil refineries.

The dispute occurred during a diplomatic row between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Midterm elections are due next month. Trump waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to import Russian diesel for the US market. Ukraine and its European allies criticized that move. Trump argues the strikes pushed global prices higher. Kyiv says the attacks cut Moscow's main source of war revenue. The strikes affected global fuel prices, though increases this year are mainly due to the Iran war. Zelensky said the US threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes did not stop. Trump denied that threat.

Fighting continued on the ground on Saturday. Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram that air defences shot down 616 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones. The drones struck several regions, including Russian-annexed Crimea. Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-backed governor of Crimea, said restrictions on electricity and water were introduced after power cuts caused by the drone strike.

Ukrainian authorities reported hitting a missile component manufacturer, a chemical plant, and an aircraft at a military airfield inside Russia in the past 24 hours. They also said Russia carried out 88 air strikes on Friday. Those strikes used 309 glide bombs and 10,270 kamikaze drones.