Ukraine Restores 400km/h Drone Speeds After Starlink Fix

Ukrainian drones can now travel at speeds exceeding 400 kilometers per hour on the Starlink network, according to Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara. He announced the restoration of full capability on Saturday, ending several days of restricted connectivity that hindered military operations.

Khmara stated that the recovery is vital for frontline soldiers, drone operations, and logistics. "This result is above all important for our front, for our soldiers, for the operation of drones, for logistics and for communications," he said. The speed cap previously prevented drones from maintaining a connection when they traveled faster than 161 kilometers per hour.

Ukraine relies heavily on the 10,000 satellite network for its military, utilizing both the civilian Starlink service and the more secure Starshield system. Last week, Kyiv accused US President Donald Trump of instructing Starlink owner Elon Musk to impose these limits. Trump denied giving the order but later said Musk had resolved the issue. Musk suggested the Pentagon, which controls Starshield, may have been behind the recent problems.

The technical dispute arose during a wider diplomatic rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The tension centers on Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil infrastructure. With US midterm elections approaching next month, Trump waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to import Russian diesel. Kyiv and its European allies criticized the move, while Trump argued the strikes pushed global fuel prices higher.

Zelensky claimed the US threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes did not stop, a threat Trump denied. The network does not function in Russian territory, meaning Ukraine cannot use Starlink for long-range missiles or drones deep inside Russia. However, the restoration ensures stable links for operations within Ukraine and in remote battlefield areas where the military relies on the satellite connection.

Fighting continues despite the connectivity fix. Russia’s defense ministry reported on Saturday that air defenses shot down 616 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones, which struck several regions including Crimea. Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-backed governor of Crimea, said the drone strike caused power cuts, forcing the introduction of electricity and water restrictions in the region.

Ukrainian authorities reported hitting a missile component manufacturer, a chemical plant, and an aircraft at a military airfield inside Russia in the past 24 hours. They also stated that Russia conducted 88 air strikes on Friday, deploying 309 glide bombs and 10,270 kamikaze drones.