Service speeds not restored, Zelensky says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said speed restrictions on Starlink terminals and the military Starshield service remain in force in Ukraine. Speaking by video to the Hudson Institute in Washington, he said speeds had not been restored and the restrictions were complicating operations at the front.
LSM Latvian reported that Zelensky described the signal from the SpaceX satellite systems as still restricted for both civilian use and operations at the front. His account conflicts with US President Donald Trump’s earlier statement that Elon Musk had removed the restrictions.
Starshield connection limit
Ukrainian forces reported on 14 October that Starshield connections were lost when drones exceeded 160 kilometres per hour, according to Meduza. Trump later said he had not ordered restrictions on the service and did not know who had imposed them.
Meduza also cited The Wall Street Journal as reporting that Trump called Musk and asked him to remove the Starshield restrictions. Trump subsequently said Musk had lifted them. Zelensky’s account says the speed limits affecting Starlink and Starshield persist, while LSM Latvian reported that the signal remains restricted for civilian needs and at the front.
Civilian toll
Separately, OHCHR civilian casualty monitoring published by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine had verified a minimum of 17,605 civilians killed and 55,846 injured across Ukraine from 24 February 2022 through 30 September 2026. OHCHR said the actual toll was likely higher because many reports could not be independently verified, particularly in areas inaccessible to monitors. The cumulative totals can change as earlier incidents are verified.