A Russian military analyst has publicly played down the significance of Ukraine regaining full use of SpaceX’s satellite network, days after Kyiv said the service was working normally again. Vasily Dandykin, a military analyst and retired Captain First Rank, told the Russian news outlet News.ru that the full restoration of Starlink satellite communications in Ukraine, including its military component Starshield, will not pose a serious threat to Russian forces, in remarks reported on 25 October by Voennoe Delo.
Key facts
- Dandykin said the return of Starlink and Starshield to normal operations had not caught the Russian military off guard, according to Voennoe Delo.
- He acknowledged that Ukrainian drones losing satellite connectivity would have given Russian troops a clear advantage.
- He said Russian servicemen had the professional training to handle such a scenario and would be able to manoeuvre effectively regardless.
- Ukraine’s defence ministry said on Saturday that full access to Starshield had been restored, CNN reported.
- The announcement came two days after US President Donald Trump said Elon Musk had restored access to the military-grade version of his Starlink internet service.
Why it matters
For more than a week, the restrictions disrupted military ordnance moving at high speeds, hindering interceptor drones defending against Russian attacks and upending Ukrainian military operations in many areas of the front line, Ukrainian officials told CNN. Dandykin’s comments are the first detailed Russian assessment of what reversing that disruption means, and they claim it changes nothing about the conditions Russian troops operate under.
What the Russian analyst said
Speaking to News.ru, Dandykin argued that Russian forces had prepared for precisely the scenario of a restored satellite network, Voennoe Delo reported. He also said Russian air defence systems continue to perform their tasks at the highest level, and that the renewed availability of Starshield would not force Russian troops to change their approach or weaken those defences.
Voennoe Delo noted that the development follows earlier warnings from European Union officials about the Ukrainian military’s critical dependence on Starlink terminals. While the restrictions were still in force, a spokesperson for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for Ukraine to regain full access to satellite communications, the outlet said.
What Ukraine reported
Ukrainian Minister of Defense Yevheniy Khmara said his ministry’s monitoring systems were recording a recovery in Starlink and Starshield speeds. “We are recording speeds exceeding 400 km/h; the connection is stable,” he said in a statement quoted by CNN, adding that the ministry was continuing to track progress. Voennoe Delo framed the same figure as drones flying at more than 400 kilometres per hour while holding a stable satellite link.
Later that day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Starlink and Starshield had resumed operations at the speeds in place before the restrictions, according to CNN. He described the services as crucial for frontline logistics and for defending Ukraine against jet-propelled Shaheds. Kyiv had already reported speeds back above 400 km/h as the caps came off.
Up until Friday evening, Ukrainian officials were still saying the limits remained. Denys Sienik, charge d’affaires for the Ukrainian embassy in the US and Kyiv’s top diplomat in Washington, told CNN that the situation was unchanged and that his country was receiving mixed messages.
Who lifted the restrictions
Trump asked Musk in a phone call in recent days to restore Ukraine’s full access to the Starshield satellite system, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. The Wall Street Journal first reported that call. Trump declined to discuss it publicly, telling reporters at the White House that it made no difference who called because Musk had put the service back.
Trump and some of his top officials had denied ordering the slowdown in the first place, without offering a clear explanation of what happened, CNN reported. Pressed on who ordered it, Trump said he had no idea and would not say if he did. Musk also denied acting unilaterally, posting on social media last week that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the president — a claim that goes to the heart of who actually controls Starshield. More than a week on, the accounts of who ordered the slowdown still conflict.
Background: the effect on the front line
A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer earlier told CNN that the restrictions made coordination difficult, with the connection dropping out for 10 to 15 seconds at a time, and that Ukraine lost far more assets than usual. The officer said reconnaissance drones and drones carrying Starlink-equipped systems were affected.
Russian strikes continued through the period. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 176 attack drones on Thursday night and into the overnight hours, and CNN’s tally of local officials’ reports put the toll at at least nine civilians killed and 76 injured in the last day. Ukraine’s deputy energy minister said attacks hit energy infrastructure in six regions, leaving more than 500,000 people without power on Friday.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it struck a railcar depot used by Ukrainian forces in the central Poltava region and the Danube River port of Vylkove in the south, and that it intercepted and destroyed 443 Ukrainian drones overnight. Three civilians were injured by falling debris in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, the local governor said on Friday.
Frequently Asked Questions
What speed limit did Ukrainian officials say had been imposed on Starshield?
Denys Sienik, charge d’affaires at Ukraine’s embassy in the United States, told CNN the limit was set at 100 miles per hour, and that connection with a drone was lost once that threshold was passed. He said this made it difficult to intercept fast-moving Russian drones.
Did the restoration reach every part of the front line?
It was not clear. CNN reported that one source on the ground in Ukraine’s Donetsk region said on Saturday morning that the speed in their area was still limited to 160 kilometres per hour, even as the defence ministry announced a recovery.
How fast are the Russian drones that Ukraine says it struggles to intercept?
Sienik told CNN that Russia has been launching jet-powered drones flying at speeds surpassing 300 miles per hour. He said those drones are causing more destruction and claiming the lives of Ukrainians.
What else did Zelensky raise alongside the satellite restrictions?
According to CNN, Zelensky said on Friday that the delivery of US-made Patriot interceptors to protect against Russian ballistic missiles was still delayed, and that already agreed interceptors had not arrived. He also said he hoped for another meeting with American negotiators in the coming week.
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