Ukraine says fast drone satellite links are working again

Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced on Saturday that satellite restrictions hampering military drone missions have been lifted. The decision restores stable Starlink and Starshield connections for equipment traveling at speeds exceeding 400 kilometers per hour, or 250 miles per hour. This development ends a disruption that lasted more than a week, during which Ukrainian forces faced challenges in coordinating attacks against Russian positions.

Khmara attributed the resolution to diplomatic efforts with Washington and the personal advocacy of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine relies heavily on SpaceX services for its communication infrastructure and drone operations. The source of the original restrictions remains unconfirmed. US President Donald Trump has denied direct responsibility for the cutoff while simultaneously defending Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX.

The incident intensified existing tensions between Kyiv and Washington. Relations were already strained by Trump's agreement to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel and permit US imports. Earlier in the month, Trump called for a change in Ukrainian leadership, suggesting that a figure other than Zelenskyy should conduct negotiations for Kyiv. These exchanges follow a public confrontation between the two leaders at the White House in February 2025.

The return of satellite service coincides with US attempts to restart peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Negotiators from the three nations are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi during the first half of November. This will be the first major diplomatic gathering more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the planned discussions on Friday, while Zelenskyy announced that technical-level meetings were agreed upon.

Trump also claimed that his wife, Melania, secured a local ceasefire in Oleshky, a town in the Kherson region occupied by Russian forces since 2022. Subsequent statements from Ukrainian and Russian officials set the start of the ceasefire for October 27, with a humanitarian operation planned for October 29.

Fighting continued during the period of satellite disruption. A Russian missile strike on Lozova in the Kharkiv region killed one man and wounded two others on Saturday, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov. In the northern Chernihiv region, a Russian attack on Friday resulted in one death and at least 25 injuries. In the east, Donetsk officials reported one death and six injuries, including three children, in Kramatorsk. Vadym Lyakh, the mayor of Sloviansk, said Friday's attacks there killed a 62-year-old woman and wounded four people.

Ukraine reported strikes on targets inside Russia on Friday and into Saturday. These included the Togliattikauchuk petrochemical plant in Togliatti, a major synthetic rubber producer, where Mayor Ilya Sukhikh confirmed industrial damage but no casualties. Ukrainian forces also targeted the Proton electronics plant in Oryol, which produces missile components. Regional Governor Andrei Klychkov reported three deaths in an attack on an unidentified facility. Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea reported power outages following overnight Ukrainian strikes.

Russia's Defense Ministry stated that its air defenses intercepted one SCALP cruise missile, four Neptune missiles, and 1,297 fixed-wing drones over a 24-hour period, according to TASS. These figures have not been independently verified.