Ukraine's Starshield satellite internet functionality while in motion has been restored, a source in Ukraine's defense ministry said on Thursday, a day after the crucial service was throttled at speeds of over 100 miles per hour.
The source said the defense ministry would continue to seek clarification on the reasons for Wednesday's disruption of the military-grade version of SpaceX's internet service, which affected drone missions across the frontline.
Ukraine's defense ministry said on Thursday that Starshield satellite internet functionality while in motion has been restored, a day after the crucial service was throttled at speeds of over 100 miles per hour.
The source said the defense ministry would continue to seek clarification on the reasons for Wednesday's disruption of the military-grade version of SpaceX's internet service, which affected drone missions across the frontline.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said Wednesday that he believed the disruption was deliberate and politically motivated.
Ukrainian official links Starlink disruption to political tensions
"It is clear that this action is not coincidental and is related to the current political situation," Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.
“Our defense forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions,” he added.
Ukrainian officials have raised concerns that the restrictions may have been imposed at the request of US President Donald Trump's administration. However, there has been no independent confirmation that the White House ordered the restrictions.
Starlink terminals, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, have played a critical role in maintaining internet connectivity and supporting Ukrainian military operations throughout the war with Russia.
The disruption comes amid growing concerns in Kyiv over US intelligence cooperation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post that Ukraine had not received advance warning of incoming Russian strikes.
“This is already the second time this has happened,” Zelensky wrote.
Trump, however, insisted Tuesday that the United States had not suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
“We are helping them, and we are sharing intel,” Trump told reporters. “We want the war to end, so we’re working with them and Russia on getting the war to end.”
Zelensky said Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones overnight Tuesday, targeting energy facilities and critical infrastructure across Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian president, approximately 500,000 people were left without electricity following the attacks.
Britain's defense secretary Sterling did not discuss Starlink outage cause with Hegseth
Britain's defense secretary said on Thursday the he and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the restoration of the Starlink service in Ukraine, but did not get into why the interruption happened.
During an appearance on Fox News' "The Story with Martha MacCallum," British defense chief Wes Streeting was asked if the Pentagon restricted offensive and defensive capability for Ukraine in order to prevent strikes on Russian energy installations.
He replied, "That's not my understanding. We didn't really get into why the service interruption had happened. We did reflect briefly on the fact that it had been restored and welcome that."
Starlink restrictions follow Trump-announced energy ceasefire
The Starlink restrictions also follow Trump's surprise announcement Sunday of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv had refrained from attacking Russian oil refineries, strikes that Trump had blamed for driving up diesel prices on global markets.
The announcement followed Trump's declaration Friday that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel fuel to the United States and other global markets.
Trump announced the arrangement in a Truth Social post following what he described as a "highly successful" discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.