'Signal loss observed': Ukraine says still experiencing issues with Starshield access, a day after Trump claimed Musk restored service

Ukraine said Friday (Oct 23) that it was still experiencing problems with the Starshield military communications service, a day after US President Donald Trump said tech billionaire Elon Musk had restored access. "As of this morning, instances of signal loss are still being observed," a source in the defence ministry told reporters. "There is currently no confirmation that the restrictions have been lifted."

Trump says the service is 'back'

Trump said Thursday (Oct 22) that Starshield was "back" in Ukraine, after The Wall Street Journal reported the president asked Musk to restore the service, which is vital to Kyiv's forces.

"I don't want to comment on it, you know, whether I called or whether somebody else called — doesn't make any difference," Trump told journalists. "I guess the bottom line, he put it back," he added, referring to Musk.

The Journal reported earlier this week that Musk had capped the speed at which Ukrainian equipment could connect to the system, making some of Kyiv's drones useless. Notably, Musk had previously said that "any limits on speed or usage" of Starshield systems, which are operated by his SpaceX company, were "decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," referring to Trump. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the Pentagon had not directed any changes, and Trump said last week he did not either.

Why Starshield matters to Kyiv

Ukraine uses Starshield, Starlink's military-grade satellite service, for battlefield communications, mid-range strikes on Russian-occupied territory and its interceptor drones. It also uses SpaceX's parallel Starlink civilian satellite system.

Relations between Washington and Kyiv have grown increasingly tense in recent days, with Trump calling for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced after he criticized a US deal allowing more Russian diesel into global markets."I don't want to comment on it, you know, whether I called or whether somebody else called — doesn't make any difference," Trump told journalists. "I guess the bottom line, he put it back," he added, referring to Musk.