As of October 23, Ukrainian military continue to register loss of satellite communications Starlink/Starshield while moving at high speeds. Despite US President Donald Trump's statement about lifting restrictions, tests showed only partial improvement in the system's performance. Problems with communications, which complicate the use of Ukrainian interceptor drones and strike drones, remain.
This information was officially confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. New details of the tests were published by Politico with reference to Ukrainian officials and a military drone operator.
The General Staff reported that cases of loss of communications when using Starlink/Starshield at certain speeds continue to be recorded. At the same time, it was emphasized that these difficulties did not stop the combat work of the Ukrainian military.
In particular, the Defense Forces during October 22 and the night of October 23 struck a number of Russian military facilities. Among them are a storage and launch site for strike drones near Donetsk, a control point in occupied Crimea, warehouses of ammunition, drones and material-technical means. The General Staff did not specify which communication systems were used during these operations.
According to Politico, morning tests on October 23 showed the preservation of speed limits at approximately 140-160 km/h. A Ukrainian official who spoke to the publication on condition of anonymity also reported incorrect navigation operation.
A representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine told journalists that the military continue to record loss of connection while moving at a speed of 161 km/h. According to him, there is currently no confirmation of the complete lifting of restrictions.
At the same time, the test results were ambiguous. Ukrainian units began checking the system's operation as early as the evening of October 22, shortly after Trump's statement about restoring communications.
During individual flights over the Black Sea, drones managed to maintain connection at speeds up to 200 km/h. Operators noted some improvement compared to previous days, but stable operation at high speeds could not be ensured.
A military operator from the "Ptahy Madyara" (Birds of Magyar) unit with the call sign Leon told Politico that after a drone accelerates above 180 km/h, the connection may persist for several more minutes, and then disappear. When the craft slows to 140-150 km/h, the connection is restored.
Thus, according to the military's assessment, the system works better than before, but constant communication interruptions remain a problem.
The unstable operation of Starshield especially complicates the use of high-speed interceptor drones, which Ukraine uses against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones. To intercept such targets, drones need to develop high speed while maintaining control and real-time data transmission.
The problems also concern medium-range strike drones and other military platforms that use satellite communications while moving.
The restrictions began to be recorded on the night of October 14. Then, according to sources of Ukrinform in the Ministry of Defense, without warning to the Ukrainian military, a speed limit was set for Starshield terminals - the military satellite communication service of SpaceX.
Depending on the equipment and unit, the connection could disappear at speeds from about 72 to 161 km/h. Because of this, the Ukrainian military were forced to review individual combat tasks and use backup communication channels.
On October 19, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that on various sections of the front, Starlink and Starshield equipment stops working normally at speeds of 130-161 km/h. According to him, the restrictions create difficulties for front-line logistics and the use of drones.
On October 22, The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump appealed to the owner of SpaceX, Elon Musk, with a request to lift restrictions on military satellite communications for Ukraine. According to sources of the publication, after this conversation the system began to work at higher speeds, although some Ukrainian officials already noted then that its functionality was not fully restored.
Trump himself, during a conversation with journalists on October 22, stated that Musk restored Ukraine's access to the system, but did not want to specify whether he personally called him with such a request.
Already in the morning of October 23, Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Communications Dmytro Lytvyn stated that the Ukrainian side continues to observe the same speed limit. New tests reported by Politico showed partial improvements but confirmed that the problem has not been fully resolved.
Meanwhile, in the USA questions arose regarding who exactly made the decision to restrict Starshield. On October 22, Senator Richard Blumenthal announced the start of an investigation into the circumstances of changes in Ukraine's access to satellite communications and the powers of the US government and SpaceX.
Therefore, as of October 23, the Ukrainian military confirms only a partial improvement in the operation of Starlink/Starshield. Connection at certain speed modes remains unstable, and there is no official confirmation of complete lifting of restrictions.
Based on materials: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Politico, The Wall Street Journal
