Ukrainian terminal operators reported that access limitations remained in place as of Friday, a position that sat at odds with a public assertion from Trump — that Musk had used SpaceX to restore connectivity — with findings from three news organisations, each citing unnamed Defence Ministry sources who recorded outages tied to hardware travelling at 161 km/h.
Three Ukrainian outlets — Kyiv Post, Ukrainska Pravda, and hromadske — each drew on unnamed sources when publishing their accounts on 23 October. The figure in question described the physical movement speed of the terminal unit itself, not the rate at which data passes across a network connection, and no single report consistently identified which satellite provider stood behind every disruption. The account those outlets put forward contained no mention of any service outage affecting the country as a whole.
Speaking at the Hudson Institute on Friday, Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine's own monitoring continued to show a velocity ceiling of roughly 160 km/h — equivalent to about 100 mph — with access limitations on both Starlink and Starshield remaining active. In a Facebook post, presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov indicated that nothing he had observed pointed to the restrictions being lifted. Sporadic readings above the threshold, he noted, might stem from SpaceX's own algorithms or from particular operating conditions at the time.
On October 22nd, Trump remarked that Ukraine's satellite connectivity had been restored — using the words "I guess the bottom line, he put it back" — while leaving unanswered the question of whether any contact with Musk had taken place. According to anonymous government officials cited by the publication, a phone call from Trump to Musk on October 21 carried a request that the restrictions be lifted.
On 19 October, a statement from Ukraine's presidential office outlined how the limitations were hampering supply lines at the front, strikes at medium range, and efforts to counter Shahed drone incursions. Ukrainian authorities also stated that networked drone operations — including interceptor platforms — carry measurable expenditure burdens.
Starlink operates as a platform serving everyday consumers and commercial clients, whereas Starshield carries a distinct mandate, with its architecture and terms of access oriented toward government customers. According to statements attributed to Musk, ownership and operational authority over Starshield rest with the federal government.
On October 22, letters addressed to the Defense Department and to Musk carried the formal notice of an inquiry that Senator Blumenthal had set in motion. Among the points he raised were uncertainty over which officials gave the order and carried it out, along with doubts about the department's dependence on SpaceX for satellite connectivity. Written responses are due by November 5 under the terms of the correspondence, with SpaceX representatives expected to provide a briefing no later than November 12.
