Ukraine Restores Critical Satellite Speeds After Two-Week Disruption

Ukrainian soldiers can now rely on their satellite communication gear at full speed. This change ends a two-week period where restrictions slowed down military operations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the fix on October 24. He said the system is back to normal levels. This matters for everyday logistics on the front lines. It also helps defend against fast-moving threats.

The system in question is Starshield. It is a military service built by SpaceX. It works alongside the commercial Starlink network. Ukraine depends on both for its defense. Zelenskyy called the restored speed very important. He noted it is critical for tracking jet-powered Shahed drones. Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara said the connection now holds on equipment moving fast.

Khmara told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that monitoring shows the fix is working. The equipment maintains a link at speeds over 400 kilometers per hour. That is about 250 miles per hour. Before this, the limits were much stricter. A Ukrainian official said links dropped at just 161 kilometers per hour. That speed is only 100 miles per hour. This gap left defense systems struggling to keep up.

The restrictions lasted nearly two weeks. They stopped drone interceptors from staying connected. Khmara credited direct dialogue for the resolution. He also pointed to the president's persistent stance. The exact cause of the limits remains unclear to the public. Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser on defense tech, suggested a link to tensions between Kyiv and Washington. However, no official link has been established yet.

The Trump administration denies that the US government requested the changes. Elon Musk said the government controls Starshield. He stated that the military makes decisions on speed and use. The final decision rests with President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called Musk earlier this week. The report said the president urged him to lift the restrictions. After that call, communications became more reliable.

Trump declined to comment when asked about the event. He said he would straighten out any problems. Lawmakers from both parties are asking for answers. They want to know who authorized the changes. They also seek guarantees of reliable access for Ukraine. These questions highlight the ongoing friction between the two allies.

The technical issues arose during a tense period for Ukraine. Zelenskyy and Western allies worry about recent US moves. Trump announced a deal encouraging Russian diesel exports. He also waived sanctions that were set to take effect. He urged Kyiv to stop hitting Russian oil refineries. He blamed those attacks for high diesel prices. Zelenskyy was open to a pause at first. But after Putin ordered strikes to continue, Ukraine dropped the idea of pausing unilaterally.

Fighting continued overnight despite the communications fix. Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 100 of 130 Russian drones. Attacks on 15 locations killed at least two people. The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces struck two industrial sites in Russia. One site is in Oryol, about 350 kilometers southwest of Moscow. It makes components for cruise and ballistic missiles. The other is in Togliatti, in the Samara region. It produces rubber products used in solid rocket fuel.

Most of occupied Crimea lost electricity in the early hours. The outage hit major cities like Simferopol and Sevastopol. NetBlocks recorded an almost complete loss of connectivity. Russian-installed authorities said mobile service reached only 40 percent of the area. Public electric transport in Sevastopol stopped running. Water arrived at low pressure and in spurts. Sergei Aksyonov, the head of the occupation administration, blamed a drone attack. He said it disrupted main power lines outside Crimea.

Ukraine has not commented on the power outage. The cause has not been independently confirmed. Ukrainian monitoring channels reported a fire at the Taman electrical substation. This substation is in Russia's Krasnodar region. It supplies power to Crimea via the Kerch Strait. With a fifth wartime winter approaching, peace talks have stalled. The Kremlin has offered no concessions so far.