Ukraine's defence minister said the country restored "stable connection" to Starlink after days of restricted satellite internet access that hindered military operations.
Last week, Ukraine's military experienced connectivity limits that prevented drones from operating above 161km/h (100mph). Kyiv accused US President Donald Trump of instructing Starlink owner Elon Musk to impose the restrictions. Trump denied involvement but later said Musk "put it back." Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced Saturday that speeds exceeding 400km/h were now possible, suggesting full capability restoration. "This result is above all important for our front, for our soldiers, for the operation of drones, for logistics and for communications," Khmara stated.
Ukraine's military relies on Starlink's 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites for drone operations, battlefield communications and logistics, particularly in remote areas. The country uses both the civilian Starlink service and Starshield, a military-grade variant that Musk said the US military controls. When Ukraine conducts long-range strikes deep inside Russia, the network does not function because Russia lacks authorization to use Starlink.
The connectivity issue emerged during broader friction between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil refineries. Ukraine describes these strikes as essential to cutting Moscow's primary war funding source. Trump has criticized the attacks for raising global fuel prices, though BBC reporting notes price increases this year stem primarily from the Iran war. The White House separately denied Zelensky's claim that the US threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if Ukraine stopped striking Russian oil targets.
Ground fighting intensified. Russia's defence ministry claimed its air defences destroyed 616 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions on Saturday. Ukrainian authorities reported striking a missile component manufacturer, chemical plant and military airfield inside Russia within 24 hours. Russia conducted 88 air strikes using 309 glide bombs and 10,270 kamikaze drones on Friday, according to Ukrainian sources. In Russian-annexed Crimea, Moscow-backed governor Sergey Aksyonov said power and water restrictions took effect following drone strikes that caused electricity outages.