Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that it had regained broader access to Starlink, a critical service for military drones, battlefield communications and other fast-moving equipment.
The restoration comes after more than a week of speed restrictions on SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield services that disrupted Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.
It remains unclear what led to the slowdown in service, with Ukraine having accused both President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk of being behind it.
Both men have denied involvement, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called Musk on Wednesday and asked him to address the slowdown.
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Vice President JD Vance appeared to leave open a role for the U.S. government going forward, saying Musk should not be expected to navigate the war without Washington “effectively directing him on what to do.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, have denied that the U.S. government was responsible for slowing Ukraine’s Starlink service. FOX Business reached out to the White House, SpaceX, along with the War and State departments for comment.
The restrictions disrupted Starlink connections on Ukrainian drones traveling faster than roughly 100 mph, limiting their ability to maintain satellite communications at higher speeds.
As of Saturday, Starlink connections are remaining stable at speeds of 250 mph, Ukrainian officials said.
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This comes as both sides appear more eager to reach a resolution in the war, which has now dragged on for more than four years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox & Friends this week that he would be open to ending the war by freezing the fighting along the current front lines.
Zelenskyy described it as a ceasefire, something Moscow has been routinely opposed to. However, on Friday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a ceasefire around Oleshky, a war-torn Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.
The White House said First Lady Melania Trump had a major role in negotiating the localized ceasefire, which will begin on Oct. 29 and allow humanitarian aid into Oleshky.
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Fighting has continued elsewhere. A missile strike on the city of Lozova in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed one man and injured two others, local officials said Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday that its forces struck a chemical plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti that manufactures materials used in rocket fuel. Mayor Ilya Sukhikh said the overnight attack caused damage to industrial facilities across the city, the AP reported.
Ukraine’s General Staff also confirmed Saturday that its forces struck an electronics plant in the Russian city of Oryol, that it said produces components for cruise and ballistic missiles used against Ukraine.
Local officials said three people were killed in that attack, according to the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
