The full operation of Starlink and the military version of Starshield in Ukraine has been temporarily restored, but a new restriction of services may follow as early as next month. This was stated by Evgeny Dikiy, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, former company commander in the “Aidar“ battalion and director of the National Antarctic Research Center, on the air of Radio NV.
“We got a break, but we should not relax“, said Dikiy. According to him, an ultimatum was initially given to Ukraine, which Kiev rejected. After the intervention of pro-Ukrainian representatives in the US Congress and European partners, access to the satellite systems was restored.
Dikiy claims that pressure on Ukraine will continue to force it to accept Russian conditions. That is why he expects new restrictions on Starlink and Starshield in the near future, but stressed that his forecast is not an officially confirmed deadline for SpaceX or the US government.
Starlink replacement sought
According to Dicky, Ukraine should use the current period to accelerate the search for replacements. He pointed out that there is no single system capable of fully taking over the functions of Starlink, but individual elements can be replaced with available technologies.
As one of the possible directions, he identified the wider use of artificial intelligence in unmanned systems. These are technologies that reduce the need for constant manual intervention in directing and controlling drones. Dikiy said similar systems already exist in Ukraine but need to be expanded.
No confirmation of deal on oil infrastructure strikes
His comments come after the restoration of access to Starlink and Starshield, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on October 24. Ukrainian authorities said speeds had returned to pre-restriction levels. The Associated Press reported that the restoration followed more than a week of disruptions that affected military communications and drone operations.
Dikiy linked the restoration of service to the temporary suspension of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. He suggested that there could be an agreement in which Ukraine does not attack oil infrastructure in exchange for maintaining access to Starlink. At the same time, he stressed that such a deal would be disadvantageous for Kiev and that there was no confirmation from official representatives of its existence.
The dispute over the restrictions intensified after Elon Musk stated that Ukrainian forces had used Starlink for offensive drone attacks in violation of the terms of use. Ukrainian representatives rejected this claim. Thus, the restoration of the service does not yet eliminate the dependence of the Ukrainian army on a solution controlled outside the country.
Sources: unian.net, apnews.com, president.gov.ua