Zelenskyy disputes Trump's account of restored Starlink service
Forbes' report turns on a practical question for Ukraine's military: whether its drones still face satellite connection speed caps.
Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 81,083 views a day, 55 times a normal first day on this channel (1,474).
Zelenskyy Says Starlink Is Still Limited After Trump Claimed Musk Restored Connection
The issue is speed. Donald Trump said Elon Musk had restored Ukraine's satellite connections, but Volodymyr Zelenskyy says restrictions affecting its military drones remain in place.
In Forbes' report, Isabel Togoh quotes the Ukrainian president's Friday address: "The speed limits on Starlink and Starshield are still there." She reports that Starshield connections had been cutting out when drones flew faster than roughly 100 mph, making the distinction between a working connection and an unrestricted one consequential.
The report also addresses signs of improved service. Ukrainian military expert Serhii Beskrestnov cautions that isolated variations in speed likely reflect SpaceX's algorithms or particular conditions of use, rather than the removal of restrictions.
Forbes' Short drew about 44,000 views in nine hours, already far beyond the channel's usual full-day audience for that format.
The earlier debate over who authorized the caps has not gone away. Togoh outlines conflicting accounts from Musk and the Trump administration, alongside bipartisan congressional calls for investigations and testimony from Musk. But Zelenskyy's statement adds a separate point: an announcement that service has been restored does not match the limits he says Ukraine is still experiencing.
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Where next?
- Channel
- Forbes
- Subscribers
- 2,200,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 3,195,275
- Channel views, pace per day
- 475,625 (on a normal day: 328,622)
- Video published
- October 23, 2026
- Video views so far
- 44,417 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 81,083
The numbers
The Starlink report passed Forbes' usual first-day views for a Short within its opening nine hours.



