Ukrainian forces continue to report disruptions to Starlink, with officials saying restrictions remain in place despite Donald Trump’s claim that Elon Musk restored the service.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a military technology adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukrainian officials had not observed any lifting of the restrictions. He said speeds remained capped at about 100mph, with isolated instances of slightly faster service that he attributed to SpaceX algorithms or specific usage conditions, The Guardian reported.
Trump, asked about reports that he had called Musk to demand that the limits be removed, declined to discuss the details but said Musk had “put it back.” The conflicting accounts leave unclear whether service has been restored broadly or whether restrictions remain for particular terminals or uses.
The limits matter because Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, has struggled to maintain connectivity while moving at high speed, according to the current report. The report says this has hampered offensive drone operations and efforts to intercept incoming Russian attacks, but it does not establish the full operational scope of the disruption.
An earlier Guardian report described connectivity losses for terminals moving faster than 100mph and cited Ukrainian claims that several combat missions had failed. It also reported no reports that access for static terminals had been cut, indicating that the restrictions did not necessarily eliminate all battlefield communications.
Responsibility remains disputed. Musk said military users were connected to Starshield, a separate network he said was operated by the US government, while Ukrainian officials linked the restrictions to wider political pressure on Kyiv. The available reports do not resolve who ordered the limits or whether Trump’s claimed restoration has been implemented across Ukraine’s military network.