British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting announced on Oct. 15 that Ukraine’s Starlink and Starshield services have been fully restored after a one‑day outage.
Starlink Restored After One‑Day Outage
The temporary disruption, reported on Oct. 14, briefly halted Ukrainian military communications and drone operations.
Streeting said he was “reassured directly” by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during a meeting on Oct. 15, confirming the service’s return.
Zelenskyy noted on Friday that satellite speeds were recovering but had not yet reached pre‑disruption levels.
When asked on Fox News if the Pentagon had limited Starlink to prevent strikes on Russian energy sites, Streeting replied, “That’s not my understanding.”
Speed Limits and Mission Impact
Ukrainian officials said the outage limited devices moving over 100 mph, causing several mission failures.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy, stated that SpaceX imposed speed limits on Starlink terminals in motion without prior notice, disrupting multiple operations.
Ukrainian commanders reported lost drones and failed missions due to communication breakdowns.
Yevhen Karas, commander of the 413th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment, confirmed that the one‑day Starshield shutdown affected several drone strikes.
Political Context
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski questioned SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Oct. 14, asking whether political pressure caused the restriction.
Musk responded on X that the U.S. government owns and controls Starshield, and that any speed or usage limits are decided by the U.S. military and the president.
A U.S. official told The Epoch Times that no request was made by the president to limit the service.
Trump has criticized Zelenskyy for continued attacks on Russian oil facilities, calling for a new Ukrainian president and suggesting it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
After Trump announced an energy ceasefire on Oct. 11, Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian refineries, saying Russia had violated the agreement.
In a Newsmax interview, Trump described Zelenskyy as “not a good guy for us to deal with” and said he found the Ukrainian leader more difficult to negotiate with than Putin.
Streeting told Fox News that continued U.S. engagement is essential for Ukraine’s defense and for ending the war.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
