Ukraine Confirms Drone Speeds Return to 250 Miles Per Hour
Defense officials report that satellite restrictions ending a week of operational disruption at the front line have been lifted.
By Chioma Brooks ·
Ukrainian forces have regained full access to high-speed satellite links for their military hardware.
Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced on Saturday that monitoring systems confirmed stable connections for objects moving faster than 250 miles per hour. This restoration ends speed limits that Ukrainian officials said disrupted front-line operations for more than a week. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that checks verified both Starlink and Starshield were running at the correct speeds. Starshield is the military-grade version of the service provided by SpaceX.
Zelenskyy noted that the speed restoration began the previous night and sufficient speeds were available by morning. He described the fix as very important for front-line logistics and for protecting Ukraine from reactive Shaheds. These are Iranian-made drones that Russia regularly launches. Khmara credited direct dialogue and Zelenskyy's diplomacy with Washington for the outcome. He emphasized that the restoration mattered most for the work of drones, logistics, and communications at the front.
The previous restrictions on Starshield alarmed Ukrainian military and government leaders. Commanders reported lost drones and disrupted missions during the period of limited speeds. The satellite internet system, built by Elon Musk's company, has been a key tool for Ukraine to counter Russian attacks for years. Questions persisted last week over who ordered the interruptions. Trump maintained he did not make the call, while also saying Musk should not be blamed.
The resolution arrives as U.S. envoys launch a new push to end the war. Russia agreed on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a localized ceasefire around Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. First lady Melania Trump brokered that truce. The episode added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington. The relationship was already strained by a reported deal between President Donald Trump and Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.
Zelenskyy thanked Americans and all partners who took the situation seriously and helped resolve it. The military now operates with the full bandwidth it requires for its fast-moving equipment.
Source: CBS News
