Starshield operations restored to normal speed, Zelensky confirms as Elon Musk claims Ukraine violated Starlink terms

Editor's note: This article was updated with additional comments by U.S. Billionaire Elon Musk,  former Defense Ministry Adviser Serhii Sternenko, and Presidential adviser Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Starlink and Starshield, the militarized version of Elon Musk's satellite internet system, Starlink, was working at full speed as of the morning of Oct. 24, after it had previously been limited to 161 kilometers per hour (about 100 miles per hour).

"The speeds are now where they need to be," Zelensky said. "I thank all Americans and all our partners who took this seriously and truly helped us. I thank members of Congress, senators, all the media, the State Department, and the President."

Ukraine's Defense Ministry told reporters on Oct. 24 that Starshield was working above speeds of 400 kilometers per hour (about 248 miles per hour) again.

"We record a speed of more than 400 kilometers per hour, the connection is stable," the ministry said.

The ministry continues to monitor and record the work of Starlink and Starshield, according to Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara.

"This is another example of direct dialogue and the persistent position of the President of Ukraine at the highest level yielding results. And this result is, above all, important for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics, and communications," the ministry added.

Elon Musk weighs in

Musk later said that Ukraine's military violated the terms of service for Starlink, adding that the "loophole" has now been closed.

Ukraine's "military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week," he said in a post to X.

"Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. This is not a threat, it is simply a statement of fact," Musk said.

He also claimed that SpaceX has done more than any other company to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia's war.

Ukrainian activist and former Defense Ministry adviser Serhii Sternenko denied that Ukraine violated Starlink's terms of service.

"As someone who was inside the process at the Ministry of Defense, I can say with certainty that this is not true. In February of this year, whitelists were introduced. Stationary terminals could be registered by both military personnel and civilians," he said in a post to X.

"But for any satellite terminal to work while on the move, it had to be added to a special list and connected to the military Starshield system. Otherwise, no satellite communication terminals in Ukraine would work," Sternenko added.

Using Starlink for drone missions has been "technically impossible" since all drone campaigns that require satellite communications would only work with the military Starshield service, he said.

Presidential adviser Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov also denied Musk's claims, saying that all Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine have a speed restriction of 70-90 kilometers an hour and do not work on Russian territory.

"Thus, we physically cannot use commercial Starlink for deep strikes and medium-range strikes," he said in a post to Facebook. "It is very strange that Elon Musk is not aware of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine."

Recent weeks

Since mid-October, Starshield had been operating at limited capacity. With speed limit caps, Kyiv's ability to defend from deadly Russian jet-powered drones and coordinate strikes against Russian targets is hindered.

Despite Ukrainian and U.S. officials apparently engaging in discussions to resolve the disruptions, nobody has publicly taken credit — or blame — for making or implementing the decision. However, the Trump administration officials continue pointing fingers firmly at SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 23 that Trump had ordered SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Oct. 21 to lift the restrictions, saying the president was "frustrated the system's speeds remained capped at around 160 kilometers (100 miles) an hour."

Trump said he had not spoken to Musk about the issue but might do so if the problems persisted.

"I have not spoken to him," Trump said. "I might have to, but I have not... I've heard it's fixed. If it's not, I will speak to him.... If there's a problem, I will get it straightened out."

On Oct. 23, Zelensky confirmed that issues with Starlink continued to plague Ukrainian forces.

"The speed restrictions for Starlink and Starshield are still in effect," Zelensky said. "The speed has not been restored. And the supply of interceptor missiles to protect against Russian ballistic missiles is still delayed."

On Oct. 23, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal announced that he is opening a probe into the Starlink disruption. Blumenthal's investigation asks the Pentagon to clarify who ordered the restrictions and to provide information on the U.S. military's own reliance on Starlink.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also brought up the issue with Trump on Oct. 23, underlining the importance for Ukraine to have full access to Starlink so they can continue to defend themselves, according to a press release from the minister's office.