Ukraine Says Starlink Speeds Are Back to Pre-Restriction Levels
President Zelensky said Starlink and Starshield have “resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds”, and his defence minister said equipment moving faster than 400km/h now works again. Nobody has said the restrictions were formally lifted, and nobody has yet accepted responsibility for imposing them.
The distinction matters. Both men describe performance recovering, not an order being rescinded, and the recovery reportedly began overnight. While the cap was in place — about 100mph, for roughly ten days — Ukraine says combat missions failed, drone interception was degraded, strikes behind Russian lines were cancelled and ballistic missiles arrived without American warning. Responsibility remains unclaimed and the denials now form a circle. The American president says “it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon”; the secretary of state says the administration cannot direct a private company; Elon Musk says the systems are “owned and controlled by the US government” and any limits are decided by the military “and ultimately Potus”. Mr Zelensky blames both, noting that no equivalent limit applied to terminals in European Union countries, only to Ukraine: “In other words, this is a planned operation.” Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.