Ukraine’s access to Starlink, the satellite communications network operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, was restored on Thursday after a brief period of restricted service. The outage, which occurred on Wednesday, reportedly hindered Ukrainian air-defense and attack drone missions, creating a temporary operational challenge for the country’s military forces.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed the restoration of services following a meeting with his American counterpart, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. While Streeting stated that Hegseth provided assurances that the system was fully operational, the specific cause of the disruption remains officially unconfirmed. Streeting noted that this incident is not the first time tensions have surfaced regarding the availability of Starlink services in the conflict zone, though he did not provide further details on the nature of the technical or policy-related issues involved.

The disruption had raised concerns among military analysts regarding the reliance of Ukrainian forces on private sector technology for critical defense infrastructure. While the service is now reported to be back online, the incident highlights the ongoing complexities surrounding the intersection of private corporate control and international military operations. Neither SpaceX nor Elon Musk have issued a detailed public statement regarding the cause of the Wednesday restriction, leaving the exact nature of the outage—whether technical, administrative, or policy-driven—unclear to the public.