Trump told reporters on Thursday that the Starshield system, the military‑grade variant of SpaceX’s Starlink, has been reactivated in Ukraine after he requested Elon Musk to lift restrictions. The system had been throttled by Musk earlier this week, cutting the speed at which Ukrainian equipment could connect and rendering several of Kyiv’s drones ineffective.
Musk had defended the limits, saying any decisions on speed or usage were "decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," a statement that echoed Trump’s own claims that he had not directed the changes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clarified on Tuesday that the Pentagon had issued no orders to alter Starshield’s parameters.
The restored service will enable Ukrainian forces to reestablish secure battlefield communications, conduct mid‑range strikes on Russian‑occupied territory, and deploy interceptor drones. The Starlink civilian network remains in use for civilian communications across the country.
With the system now back online, Kyiv officials expect to resume full operational capacity by the end of the week, providing a critical boost to their digital warfare capabilities.