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Ukraine says Starlink speed cap lifted, above 400 km/h

Kyiv says its monitoring shows a stable military Starlink link above 400 km/h, two days after it disputed Trump's claim that Musk had restored service. Who ordered the cap is still unconfirmed.

By Rowan Ashby Published 23.10.26 02:04 UTC Updated 24.10.26 10:47 UTC 6 min read

A Ukrainian Support Forces soldier installing a Starlink satellite internet terminal — Support Forces of Ukraine Command / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 · Source

Update, October 24, 2026

Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on Saturday morning, October 24, that the Starlink speed cap had been lifted. The ministry said its overnight monitoring showed Starlink and Starshield speeds were back to normal, with a stable connection for terminals moving at more than 400 km/h. "We are registering a speed of more than 400 km/h, the connection is stable," the defence minister told reporters, according to Euronews, which cited AFP. Reuters, Bloomberg (both via The Irish Times) and DPA also reported the statement. Reuters posted the news at about 09:20 UTC, and DPA's report was published at 10:03 UTC.

The ministry did not say whether full service had been restored on every terminal, The Irish Times reported. As of 10:03 UTC, SpaceX, Elon Musk and the US government had not said who ordered the cap or who lifted it. This replaces our earlier report that Kyiv said the cap remained. That was accurate on October 22–23: on Friday evening, October 23, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy still said the system was not fully working, according to DPA.

Key takeaways

Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on October 24 that its Starlink and Starshield service is stable at speeds above 400 km/h. The 161 km/h cap in place since about October 14 no longer applies, according to the ministry.
400 km/h is the level Kyiv had asked for so that fast interceptor and strike drones can stay connected, according to the Kyiv Independent.
The change comes two days after Donald Trump said on October 22 that Elon Musk had "put it back." At that point, Kyiv said speeds had not been restored.
Who ordered the cap is still unclear. Musk and the US government have each said the decision belonged to the other. Reuters reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House.

Ukraine's Starlink speed cap has been lifted, Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on October 24, with service stable above 400 km/h after more than a week capped near 161 km/h. Who ordered the cap remains unconfirmed.

Is Ukraine's Starlink speed cap lifted?

According to Ukraine's Defence Ministry, yes. In statements reported by Euronews (AFP), DPA, Reuters and Bloomberg, the ministry said speed metrics "have now returned to normal" and that monitoring showed a stable link above 400 km/h. The minister said the result matters most for front-line troops, drone operations, logistics and communications, Euronews and DPA reported. The ministry did not say whether every terminal is fully restored. The Ukrainian military does not disclose maximum operating speeds, The Irish Times noted.

The ministry's figure differs from some earlier readings. On October 23, a Defence Ministry source told the Kyiv Post that connection losses at 161 km/h were still being recorded that morning. The 400 km/h figure comes from the ministry itself and has not been independently verified, Euronews noted.

What happened before the cap was lifted

Trump spoke to reporters in Washington on Thursday, October 22 (US time). Reuters reported that he was asked whether he had spoken to Musk about Starlink. He declined to answer directly. "The bottom line, he put it back," Trump said, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera. He added that it "doesn't make any difference" whether he or someone else made the call. On Friday, October 23, Trump said that if problems persisted he would "get it straightened out," according to Reuters as published by The Irish Times.

His October 22 comments followed a Wall Street Journal report, cited by Reuters, that Trump called Musk on October 21 and asked him to lift restrictions on Starshield, the military version of Starlink. Citing US and Ukrainian officials, the WSJ said the system was working more normally shortly after the call. The Kyiv Independent noted that the WSJ corrected an earlier version of its story, which had said Musk called Trump. Ukrainian officials disputed the restoration at the time. Zelenskiy said speeds had not been restored, and one official told the Kyiv Independent that "nothing has changed anywhere."

What we know

The restriction was a speed cap. According to the Kyiv Independent and TNW, Ukraine's military Starlink service was capped at about 161 km/h. That is the speed at which a terminal could move before it lost its link. Zelenskiy said Ukrainian interceptor drones lost their connection above that speed, TNW reported on October 17.
It hit drone operations. Reuters reported that the restriction hampered Ukraine's attack drones and air-defence drones. Ukrainian officials said it also disrupted front-line communications, according to The Irish Times.
Kyiv's 400 km/h demand has now been met, according to the ministry. Zelenskiy had asked for speeds of up to 400 km/h to be restored, the Kyiv Independent reported. On October 22 he said he was waiting for an answer from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had promised a reply within 48 hours.
No US or SpaceX statement on the change. As of 10:03 UTC on October 24, the reports reviewed for this article included no statement from SpaceX, the Pentagon or the White House on lifting the cap.

What we don't know yet

Who ordered the cap. Al Jazeera reported that Trump said "it wasn't me." Rubio said on October 21 that the decision rested with SpaceX and Musk, according to Reuters. Musk wrote on October 14 that any limits on Starshield are "decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," Al Jazeera reported. Reuters later reported that the order came from inside the White House.
Who lifted it, and whether the Trump-Musk call took place. Neither man has confirmed the call publicly. The WSJ report relies on unnamed officials.
Whether the restoration is complete and permanent. The ministry has not said whether every terminal is back to full service.

Timeline

Date (2026)	Development	Source
Oct 13-14	Ukraine reports sudden Starlink disruptions. A defence ministry official says failures began overnight into October 14 without notice.	Al Jazeera; Kyiv Independent; TNW
Oct 14	Musk says the US government controls Starshield and decides its limits.	Al Jazeera; TNW
Oct 17	Zelenskiy says the cap is still in place and calls it "a planned operation."	TNW
Oct 21	Rubio says access decisions rest with SpaceX and Musk. The WSJ reports that Trump called Musk the same day.	Reuters; Kyiv Independent
Oct 22	Trump says Musk "put it back." Zelenskiy says speeds have not been restored.	Reuters; Al Jazeera; Kyiv Independent
Oct 23	A ministry source still reports link losses at 161 km/h in the morning. Trump says he will "get it straightened out." Zelenskiy says in the evening that the system is not fully working.	Kyiv Post; Reuters via The Irish Times; DPA
Oct 24	Defence Ministry says speeds are back to normal: stable above 400 km/h.	Reuters and Bloomberg via The Irish Times; Euronews/AFP; DPA

Background

Ukraine has relied on Starlink since the early weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Today it uses the network for front-line communications and to control drones. Relations between Kyiv and Washington have been strained in recent weeks. Reuters reported that Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, waived new sanctions on Moscow and told Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries. Fighting continued on October 22. Reuters said Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles that day, while Ukraine sent hundreds of drones towards Moscow. The White House also says Melania Trump brokered an Oleshky ceasefire from Oct. 29, which neither side has confirmed.

What it means

For Ukraine, the change is practical. If the ministry's readings hold, fast interceptor drones and mid-range strike drones can again rely on Starshield. Ukrainian officials had said those operations were limited under the cap. The episode still leaves open questions. No one has publicly taken responsibility for imposing the cap or for lifting it. It also showed how much a state's war effort can depend on one private company. Observers cited by Al Jazeera worry that access to the network could become a source of pressure on Kyiv. The next signals to watch are whether the 400 km/h readings stay stable on all terminals and whether SpaceX, the Pentagon or the White House comments on the decision.

Frequently asked questions

Has Ukraine's Starlink access been restored?

Yes, according to Ukraine's Defence Ministry. On October 24, 2026 it said Starlink and Starshield speeds had returned to normal, with a stable connection above 400 km/h. It did not say whether every terminal is fully restored.

What was the Starlink speed cap in Ukraine?

From about October 14, 2026, terminals on Ukraine's military Starlink (Starshield) service lost their link above about 161 km/h, according to the Kyiv Independent and TNW. This affected fast interceptor and strike drones. Kyiv had asked for up to 400 km/h.

Who ordered the Starlink restrictions on Ukraine?

This has not been confirmed. Trump denied ordering them, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision rested with SpaceX and Musk, and Musk said Starshield limits are set by the US military and the president. Reuters reported the order came from inside the White House.