Ukrainian drones connected to the Pentagon-funded Starshield satellite network are flying at normal speeds again, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, ending more than a week of back-and-forth with Washington over a slowdown that hampered crucial military operations.
"The speeds are now where they need to be," Mr. Zelensky said in a video on social media. "The restoration began overnight, and by this morning, speeds were already sufficient." He said the change restored Ukraine's drone and air-defense systems, which had been throttled for about 10 days by connectivity issues and an abruptly imposed 100-mile-an-hour speed limit for drones. Some drones could not fly much slower than that.
Ukraine feared the unexplained changes, which came as President Trump eased sanctions on Russia and demanded Ukraine stop attacking oil refineries, were part of an attempt to force it to capitulate to Moscow. The slowdown did not affect strikes inside Russia, where the technology does not work. Mr. Zelensky thanked Americans, members of Congress, senators, the media, the State Department and the president, saying, "Protecting lives matters."
Ukraine uses Starshield, a military version of the Starlink satellite network run by SpaceX, which is controlled by Elon Musk, for certain kinds of air defense and to guide drones in Russian-occupied territory. Mr. Musk said he was not involved with the disruptions, and Trump administration officials also denied responsibility.
Zelensky warned that the Starshield slowdown had left civilians more vulnerable to Russian attacks. Frontline commanders said the sudden changes disrupted key attacks on Russian logistics, risked soldiers' lives and wasted expensive equipment.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing