Summary
Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted frontline operat…
“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelensky said on social media, adding that restoration began overnight and was sufficient by Saturday morning, improving frontline logistics and defence against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
The restoration follows a new US diplomatic push to end the war. Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month.
On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localised ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump around Oleshky, a war-ravaged, Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.
Restrictions imposed last week on Starshield – SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service and the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communication – alarmed the country’s military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions.
The episode added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington, a relationship already strained by US President Donald Trump’s reported deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara credited “direct dialogue” and Zelensky’s diplomacy with Washington, adding that the outcome mattered most “for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics and communications”.
Zelensky on Friday said Ukraine was still experiencing Starlink and Starshield speed limits.
Questions have persisted since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Elon Musk-made satellite internet system that Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.
Trump has maintained that he did not make the call, while also saying Musk should not be blamed.
US Vice-President J.D. Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement.
Meanwhile, a man was killed and two others wounded in a missile attack on the city of Lozova in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, local officials said on Saturday.
Moscow-installed authorities in cities across Russia-occupied Crimea reported power blackouts on Saturday following overnight Ukrainian attacks.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Saturday that its forces hit a chemical plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti, which produces materials used in rocket fuel. Tolyatti Mayor Ilya Sukhikh said the overnight attack damaged industrial facilities in the city.
Ukrainian forces also hit an electronics plant in the city of Oryol, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on Saturday.
Local officials in Oryol said Saturday that three people were killed in Friday’s attack. The General Staff said the plant makes components for the cruise and ballistic missiles Russia fires at Ukrainian cities.
Ukrainian drones also reached Russia’s Omsk region in western Siberia, more than 2,000km (1,242 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Omsk regional Governor Vitaly Khotsenko said drones “reached a northern industrial hub”.
Online retailer Ozon said Saturday that its logistics centre in Omsk had been attacked by a drone, but there were no casualties. Ozon is a competitor to Wildberries, whose facilities Ukraine has also targeted.
Source: South China Morning Post
