Starlink speed fell to 0.1 megabits per second during drone strike that killed five

Yulia Spichak, a 34-year-old makeup artist, sat in a park in the Kharkiv region on Oct. 19 after dropping her son at an English lesson. She attempted to send a selfie to her sister, Alina, when a Russian drone struck the area. The impact killed Spichak and four other people, including a 1-year-old girl.

The attack happened six days after SpaceX restricted Ukraine's access to its satellite internet service, Starlink. Elon Musk stated on X that Ukraine had violated the service agreement by using the network for offensive drone strikes against Russia. Ukrainian officials reported that the restrictions were implemented without prior warning. These changes affected ground-based air defense radars and drone interceptors, reducing the military's capacity to stop incoming attacks.

Vadym Ivchenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament's National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee, described Starlink as a vital component of the country's air defense infrastructure. He noted that while other systems continued to function, the loss of this specific connectivity was essential for protecting civilians. Ivchenko explained that the throttling hindered the military's ability to coordinate defenses effectively.

Photographs obtained by CBS News indicate that the data speed for Ukraine's ground-based radars dropped to 0.1 megabytes per second on the day of the Kharkiv attack. A source familiar with the technology stated that this speed is insufficient to load a standard webpage, let alone power complex defense systems. The source requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue.

Ukrainian officials confirmed on Saturday that Starlink access had been fully restored across the country. Musk acknowledged the throttling, writing that using a commercial civilian service for offensive strikes to kill people had never been permitted. He stated that the loophole allowing such use was closed the previous week. The military also reported connectivity issues with Starshield, a military-grade network operating on the same satellite constellation. Musk said the U.S. government controlled changes to Starshield, though the White House said President Trump did not order the restrictions.

Alina Spichak returned to the park on Sunday to reflect on the location where her sister died. She described the Geran-4 jet-powered drone as arriving so quickly that the victims did not hear it approaching. She said the world needs to understand that a war is ongoing in Ukraine and that the population continues to face attacks. She expressed hope that the conflict will end soon.