Former Army special ops intel analyst Brett Velicovich analyzes the partial restoration of SpaceX Starlink access to Ukraine, its impact on the battlefield and reports of Russian drone strike bases in ‘Varney & Co.’
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that it had gained more access to Starlink, a critical service for military drones, battlefield communications and other high-speed equipment.
The restoration comes after more than a week of speed limits on SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield services that disrupted Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.
It is unclear what caused the slowdown in service, with Ukraine having accused President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk of being behind it.
The two have denied any involvement, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called Musk on Wednesday and asked him to address the slowdown.
Ukrainian soldiers carry drones to attack enemy drones in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on October 8, 2026. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Vice President JD Vance appeared to be open to a role for the US government going forward, saying Musk should not be expected to navigate the war without Washington “directing it effectively on what to do.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, however, denied that the US government was responsible for slowing Ukraine’s Starlink service. FOX Business reached out to the White House, SpaceX, along with the War and State departments for comment.
The restrictions disrupt Starlink connections on Ukrainian drones traveling faster than 100 mph, limiting their ability to maintain satellite communications at higher speeds.
On Saturday, the Starlink connection remained stable at 250 mph, Ukrainian officials said.
Soldiers from the duty rifle battalion of the National Police of Ukraine set up a Starlink satellite communication terminal at a combat position in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on October 16, 2026. (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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It comes as both sides appear increasingly eager to reach a resolution to the war, which has now been more than four years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox & Friends this week that he would be open to ending the war by freezing fighting on the current front lines.
Zelenskyy described it as a ceasefire, which Moscow has often opposed. However, on Friday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a ceasefire around Oleshky, a Russian-held town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.
The White House said First Lady Melania Trump has a major role in local ceasefire negotiations, which will begin on October 29 and allow humanitarian aid to Oleshky.
First Lady Melania Trump, seen at the White House on October 19, 2026, is one of the main negotiators of the ceasefire in Russian-held Oleshky. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Fighting continues elsewhere. A missile attack in the city of Lozova in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed one person and wounded two others, local officials said on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Saturday that its forces attacked a chemical plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti that produces rocket fuel. Mayor Ilya Sukhikh said the overnight raid caused damage to industrial facilities across the city, AP reported.
Ukraine’s General Staff also confirmed Saturday that its forces attacked an electronics factory in the Russian city of Oryol, which it said produces components for cruise and ballistic missiles used against Ukraine.
Local officials said three people were killed in the attack, according to the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.