Starlink Service Restored for Ukrainian Military After Week of Disruption

Ukraine has confirmed that restrictions on its military use of Starlink satellite connections have been lifted. This development ends a disruption that lasted for more than a week and significantly hampered the country's drone operations against Russian forces.

Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara announced the news on Saturday. He stated that connections for both Starlink and Starshield were stable on equipment moving at speeds greater than 400 kilometers per hour. That is approximately 250 miles per hour. The minister credited the resolution to ongoing talks with Washington and the diplomatic efforts of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian military relies heavily on satellite services provided by SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, for communications and drone missions. It remains unclear who originally ordered the restrictions. US President Donald Trump has denied personal responsibility for the decision while simultaneously defending Musk. This episode has added strain to relations between Kyiv and Washington. Those ties were already under pressure due to Trump's agreement to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel and allow US imports.

The diplomatic friction intensified earlier this month when Trump called for Ukraine to have a new president. On Monday, he suggested that someone other than Zelenskyy should negotiate on behalf of Kyiv. These exchanges follow a public confrontation between the two leaders at the White House in February 2025.

The restoration of service comes at a critical time as the United States tries to revive peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the US are expected to meet in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. This is more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the planned talks on Friday, while Zelenskyy announced agreement on technical-level meetings.

Trump also took credit for securing a local ceasefire in Oleshky, a town in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. Russian forces have occupied this area since 2022. Later statements from both Ukrainian and Russian officials indicated that the ceasefire would start on October 27. A humanitarian operation is planned for October 29. Trump credited his wife, Melania Trump, with helping to secure this local truce.

Fighting continued on the ground despite the diplomatic moves. A Russian missile strike on Lozova in the northeastern Kharkiv region killed a man and wounded two others on Saturday, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov. In the north, a Russian attack on Chernihiv on Friday killed a man and wounded at least 25 people, local authorities reported.

Officials in the Donetsk region reported that shelling in Kramatorsk killed one person and wounded six, including three children. Meanwhile, Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Lyakh said that attacks on Friday in his city killed a 62-year-old woman and wounded four others. These reports highlight the ongoing impact on working families and civilians in contested zones.

Ukraine reported strikes inside Russia on Friday and into Saturday. Targets included the Togliattikauchuk petrochemical plant in Togliatti, a major producer of synthetic rubber. Mayor Ilya Sukhikh confirmed industrial damage but reported no casualties. Ukraine also said it hit the Proton electronics plant in Oryol, a facility it says manufactures missile components. Regional Governor Andrei Klychkov reported three deaths in an attack on an unidentified facility. Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea reported power cuts following overnight Ukrainian attacks.

Russia's Defence Ministry stated that its air defences intercepted a SCALP cruise missile, four Neptune missiles, and 1,297 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over a 24-hour period. TASS reported these figures, though they could not be independently verified. The restoration of satellite links is crucial for maintaining the tempo of these operations as both sides prepare for upcoming diplomatic talks.