Satellite Links Back Online for Ukrainian Drones
Military connectivity has been restored after a week of outages that disrupted operations, setting the stage for upcoming peace talks.
By Lina Lewis ·
Ukrainian military forces have regained full access to Starlink satellite communications. This development ends a period of disruption that lasted more than a week. The outage had significantly hindered drone operations aimed at Russian forces. Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara confirmed the stability of the service on Saturday. He stated that connections are now reliable on equipment moving at speeds exceeding 400 kilometers per hour. Khmara credited diplomatic efforts with Washington and the work of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the resolution.
Ukraine relies heavily on services from Elon Musk's SpaceX for its military communications and drone missions. The exact origin of the restrictions remains unclear. US President Donald Trump has denied direct responsibility for the changes while defending Musk. This episode has added strain to relations between Kyiv and Washington. Those ties were already under pressure following Trump's agreement to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel and allow US imports.
Tensions have been high in recent months. Earlier this month, Trump called for Ukraine to select a new president. On Monday, he suggested that someone other than Zelenskyy should negotiate on behalf of Kyiv. These exchanges follow a public confrontation between the two leaders at the White House in February 2025. The restoration of satellite service occurs as the United States works to revive peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the US are expected to meet in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. These talks will take place more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the planned meetings on Friday. Zelenskyy also announced agreement on technical-level discussions. Trump credited his wife, Melania Trump, with securing a local ceasefire in Oleshky. This area in the Kherson region has been under Russian occupation since 2022.
Ukrainian and Russian statements indicate the ceasefire will start on October 27. A humanitarian operation is planned for October 29. Fighting continued in other areas during this period. A Russian missile strike on Lozova in the Kharkiv region killed a man and wounded two others on Saturday. In Chernihiv, a Russian attack on Friday killed a man and wounded at least 25 people. Officials in Donetsk reported that shelling in Kramatorsk killed one person and wounded six, including three children.
Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Lyakh reported that Friday's attacks killed a 62-year-old woman and wounded four others. Ukraine reported strikes inside Russia on Friday and overnight into Saturday. Targets included the Togliattikauchuk petrochemical plant in Togliatti. Mayor Ilya Sukhikh confirmed industrial damage but no casualties at that site. Ukraine also said it hit the Proton electronics plant in Oryol, which produces missile components. Regional Governor Andrei Klychkov reported three deaths in an attack on an unidentified facility.
Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea reported power cuts after overnight Ukrainian attacks. Russia's Defense Ministry stated its air defenses intercepted a SCALP cruise missile and four Neptune missiles. It also claimed to have shot down 1,297 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over 24 hours. TASS reported these figures, which could not be independently verified.
