Ukrainian military units are reporting that Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink internet system, appears to be functioning normally again after a period of restricted access, according to Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara. Khmara told reporters that service seems to have been restored, though the military is still running tests and has not received an explanation for why the restrictions were imposed. The Wall Street Journal reported his remarks. SpaceX has not publicly detailed the reasons behind the change in service.
The disruption lasted 10 days, during which Ukrainian drones lost internet connectivity when flying at speeds of around 100 miles per hour. The outages caused the military to lose control of some drones, while others became more vulnerable because they were flying more slowly. The restrictions affected Starshield, the military-specific tier of the Starlink satellite internet network.
President Donald Trump reportedly called SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday and asked him to restore Starshield service. The call came as both Trump and Musk have publicly criticized Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Musk recently posted that Zelensky "has gone too far."
Musk has also said that if Starlink were turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. He described that assessment as a statement of fact rather than a threat. The episode highlights how dependent Ukraine's battlefield operations have become on SpaceX's satellite network, and how quickly service decisions made by the company can affect conditions on the ground.
The Starshield restrictions and their apparent reversal put a spotlight on the role a US company plays in an active conflict, a dynamic with few precedents for American technology firms. For a US technology audience, the episode raises questions about how much control a private company can exert over critical communications infrastructure used by a foreign military, and how executive-level relationships can influence those decisions.
The source article did not specify what caused the restrictions or who ordered them. It also did not indicate whether SpaceX would comment on the matter or whether the restored service would remain in place. Khmara's remarks indicate testing is ongoing, and no explanation has been provided to the Ukrainian military for the restrictions.
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