OMM Newsroom
Ukraine now has a “stable connection” to “Starlink”, Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said, after the country’s military experienced several days of restricted connectivity on the satellite network, according to BBC World.
Kyiv relies on “Starlink” and its military-grade counterpart “Starshield” to pilot drones and support operations inside Ukraine. Last week, Ukraine accused US President Donald Trump of telling “Starlink” owner Elon Musk to impose limits on the service. Trump denied doing so, before saying Musk had “put it back”.
Ukraine said drones lost their connection when travelling at 161km/h (100mph) or faster. Khmara said on Saturday that speeds above 400km/h were now possible, indicating that the network’s full capability had been restored.
“This result is above all important for our front, for our soldiers, for the operation of drones, for logistics and for communications,” Khmara said in a statement.
Ukraine’s military extensively uses the network of 10,000 low Earth orbit satellites, particularly in remote areas of the battlefield. It uses both the civilian “Starlink” service and the more secure “Starshield”. Musk has said “Starshield” is controlled by the US military and suggested the Pentagon could be behind the recent issues.
Russia is not authorised to use “Starlink”. As a result, the network does not work when Ukraine sends long-range missiles or drones deep into Russia to strike oil refineries.
Dispute over strikes on Russian oil infrastructure
The controversy over “Starlink” emerged last week amid a broader diplomatic dispute between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
With midterm elections next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to a deal to import Russian diesel for the US market. Ukraine and its European allies have criticised the move.
Trump said strikes on Russian oil refineries had pushed global prices higher. Kyiv says the attacks are crucial to curbing Moscow’s main source of revenue for its war effort. While the strikes have affected global fuel prices, increases this year have primarily been due to the Iran war.
Zelensky said the US had also threatened to stop sharing intelligence if the strikes did not end, in addition to seemingly limiting “Starlink” capability in Ukraine. Trump denied that claim as well.
Power cuts reported in Crimea and casualties in Kharkiv
Fighting on the ground continues. Russian authorities said on Saturday that a Ukrainian drone attack had caused power cuts in Russian-annexed Crimea.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-backed governor of the region, said restrictions had been imposed on electricity and water.
Separately, Russian-backed authorities said at least three people had been killed and another wounded in a Ukrainian strike in Kharkiv.
