Abstract:
Ukraine said on Friday that the Starlink communications system used by its military forces was still subject to speed limits, contradicting previous claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that the service had been restored. Since October 13, Starlink has imposed restrictions that prevent drones from flying faster than 160 kilometers per hour, hampering Ukrainian military operations. Washington has repeatedly denied artificially limiting Starlink connection speeds, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted the restrictions were imposed intentionally.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov wrote on social platforms on Friday: "Currently, we do not observe any signs of lifting the speed limit of Starlink."
He said: "In individual cases, equipment using Starlink may operate at a speed slightly higher than the limit value, but this is likely to be caused by the SpaceX algorithm or specific usage conditions."
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces also confirmed on Friday morning that the military was still receiving reports of "Starlink/StarShield losing connection at certain speeds," but said that Ukrainian drones continued to perform missions.
The problems in Ukraine's use of Elon Musk's satellite communications equipment come as relations between Trump and Zelensky have deteriorated to their lowest point since the two had a heated argument in the Oval Office in February 2025.
On Thursday, when asked if he had spoken to Musk about the matter, Trump said that Starlink service had been restored.
He said: "I don't want to comment on it or say if I made the call or if it was someone else who called. I think it makes no difference. The most important thing is that he has restored service."
As Trump pushes to end Russia's conflict with Ukraine, the U.S. position appears to be tilting toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Putin in St. Petersburg this week to discuss resuming peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, according to Russian officials.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiating teams plan to hold talks on resolving the conflict in Abu Dhabi in early to mid-November.
The Ukrainian military uses Starlink terminals to control attack drones to carry out strike missions deep into Russian-controlled Ukrainian territory, or to control interceptor drones used to shoot down Russian drones.
Ukrainian officials and military officers said that relevant forces reported that connection problems occurred when the drone flew above 130 kilometers per hour, and that when the speed exceeded 160 kilometers per hour, the signal was completely interrupted.
Serhii Sternenko, a former defense ministry adviser with close ties to the Ukrainian military, said on Friday morning that the situation remained "uncertain."
He said: "Some units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces have reported that Starlink service has been restored when flying at speeds exceeding previously set limits. However, this is far from true for all missions."
Trump insisted on Thursday that he had "nothing to do" with restrictions on Starlink services in Ukraine.
Zelensky said that after a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, Rubio promised to clarify the situation within 48 hours.
In recent months, Kiev has used the reliable communication capabilities provided by Starlink terminals to carry out so-called "middle-strike" operations, causing serious damage to Russia's logistics system.
Starlink is also used in a new type of interception drone. This type of drone can fly at nearly 500 kilometers per hour and can be used to shoot down Russian jet-powered drones.
Ukraine is still facing a shortage of anti-aircraft ammunition. Beskrestnov said last week that the Ukrainian army has been relying on armed helicopters that also use Starlink to transmit data to perform relevant tasks.
Zelensky told reporters last week that Ukrainian officials had conducted tests to confirm that the restrictions were only for Ukraine and therefore considered it a "planned operation."
Kiev also claimed last week that Washington had suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine regarding a system used to warn Ukrainian civilians about Russian ballistic missile launches.
Zelensky said on Tuesday that intelligence sharing had resumed after he and other European leaders held talks with Trump's envoy Witkov.
Russian officials said on Friday that more than 400 Ukrainian drones were shot down at night in multiple areas of Russia.
Officials in Nizhny Novgorod Region said that three people were injured in the attack.
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