Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield remained limited in Ukraine

On October 21, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield remained limited in Ukraine. CBS News reported his statement in a follow-up published October 22, after an earlier report described connectivity returning while a formal speed limit remained in place.

Connectivity returned while a speed limit remained

On October 14, The Record reported that a Ukrainian Defense Ministry source said connectivity while moving had returned, although the formal speed limit remained. A week later, Zelenskyy said the services were still limited. The return of a connection, then, did not mean the reported speed restriction had been lifted.

NeoTeo previously covered Zelenskyy’s statement about a 161 km/h limit, a figure that also appears in reports about the later service restrictions.

The reported military restriction concerned Starshield

SpaceX’s Starshield is a military-grade satellite service licensed to the U.S. government. Starlink is the company’s civilian satellite-internet service. CBS reported that Ukraine uses both, while the principal military restriction account concerned Starshield.

Accounts differ over who directed the limits

CBS reported that people familiar with the matter attributed the decision behind the restrictions to Elon Musk. Ukrainian Defense Ministry sources told CBS that SpaceX imposed the limits unilaterally. Musk said the U.S. military and ultimately the president decide speed or usage limits; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon had not issued a directive. Those accounts assign responsibility differently.

What the reported speed figures describe

The figures refer to different services, statements and observations. They are not measurements from one common test.