Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday, October 24, that Starlink and Starshield operations are back to the speeds Ukraine had before the restrictions. He said the restoration began overnight and that by the morning the speeds were already sufficient. According to Zelensky, this matters most for front-line logistics and for defending Ukraine against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones. Ukraine's Defense Ministry backed him up, reporting stable connections on objects moving faster than 400 kph. Officials in Kyiv had said the slowdown disrupted front-line operations for more than a week, with commanders reporting lost drones and interrupted missions.

Zelensky thanked Americans and Ukraine's partners who took the problem seriously, naming members of Congress, senators, the media, the State Department and the President, and he ended with a simple line: protecting lives matters. The announcement came after Elon Musk confirmed that SpaceX had throttled the service, alleging that Ukraine's military violated the terms of service by using a civilian system for offensive drone strikes, a claim Ukrainian officials have rejected. Musk also said that changes to Starshield, the military-grade version, are controlled by the U.S. government, so the question of who ultimately gave the order is still disputed. What remains unclear is what exactly changed to bring the speeds back, and whether Ukraine can count on them staying that way.