Defence Minister Evhenii Khmara told reporters on Saturday that the defence ministry’s monitoring systems were showing a return to “normal speed” on the SpaceX-made networks. “We are recording a speed of over 400 kph. The connection is stable,” he said, according to France 24. The ministry said its speed metrics had returned to normal, but it did not say whether service had been fully restored in every respect.
That caveat is not filler. Ukraine’s complaint was not about an inconvenient signal drop; officials said the restrictions interfered with frontline communications and undermined the military’s ability to intercept Russian attack drones. A system that has become routine battlefield infrastructure does not stop being strategic because it is delivered by a private company.
The restrictions were first reported on October 14, France 24 said. The outlet also reported that sources said connection speeds had been reduced to about 160 kph or less. The episode fed a broader quarrel with Washington because neither the US government nor SpaceX owner Elon Musk has acknowledged responsibility for restricting Starlink or Starshield in Ukraine. Both, France 24 reported, have publicly said any such decision could only have been taken by the other.
France 24, citing Reuters, said Reuters had reported the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House. In the same report, President Donald Trump was quoted as saying on Friday that if the access problems persisted, he would “get it straightened out”.
For now, the hard news is that Ukraine says the connection is back to normal. The chain of authority behind the disruption is still murky.
Dua Mifsud 
Gabriel Fenech 
Sophia Borg