Starlink service for Ukrainian forces appears restored after ten-day disruption
Drones that lost connectivity during the outage were reportedly lost or forced to slow, leaving them easier targets.
SpaceX appears to have restored normal operation of Starshield, its military-grade Starlink service, for Ukraine's armed forces after a roughly ten-day disruption. During that outage, Ukrainian drones flying near 100 mph lost connectivity, causing some to be lost and others to fly more slowly and become easier targets. Ukraine's defence minister said the service looks normal again but that testing continues and no reason for the restrictions has been provided. The reported restoration followed a call from President Trump to Elon Musk, after reports that Musk had ordered Ukraine's Starlink access throttled, a move he justified by accusing Ukraine of violating the terms of service through offensive drone strikes.
Why it matters
The episode shows how much Ukraine's battlefield connectivity depends on a single commercial provider and how quickly access can be changed by its owner. Ukraine's defence minister says the service looks normal but that testing continues and no explanation for the restrictions has been given, so the arrangement remains uncertain. The reported intervention by the US president after Musk's decision also shows that access to this infrastructure can be affected by political decisions as well as contractual terms.
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