Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said restrictions affecting Starlink and its military counterpart Starshield had not been lifted. Ukrainian specialists tested the services in civilian settings and near the front line, finding that connections continued to fail when terminals traveled at roughly 161 kilometers per hour.

Radio Svoboda reported the findings on Friday, October 23. Zelenskyy told the Hudson Institute by video link that Ukraine understood how the limit could be removed technically and expected SpaceX and the US administration to act.

The disruptions began overnight on October 14 and hindered strike drones, interceptor drones, reconnaissance and logistics operations. Ukrainian defense technology adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said occasional connections at higher speeds did not prove that the restriction had been canceled and could reflect SpaceX’s algorithms.

President Donald Trump said on October 22 that Elon Musk had restored full Starlink service for Ukraine. After Kyiv disputed that assessment, Trump said on October 23 that he would look into the issue and was prepared to contact Musk. Ukraine is also exploring an alternative satellite network through planned cooperation with Finland’s ICEYE and Nokia.