Ukraine plans independent satellite system as Starlink issues persist

Ukraine will partner with Finnish companies to build its own independent satellite communications system, as problems with the US-operated Starshield network continue, Al Jazeera reports.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that Kyiv had agreed with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to make greater use of Finland's satellite capabilities, calling it important for Ukraine's defence and resilience. The Finnish firms Nokia and ICEYE signed a letter of intent with Ukraine's Defence Ministry during Orpo's visit to Kyiv on Thursday, the DPA news agency reported.

ICEYE chief executive Rafal Modrzewski said Ukraine needed a secure satellite communications system under its own control, and said the company's satellites provide reconnaissance data regardless of weather or time of day.

The announcement came the same day Ukraine's Defence Ministry complained of lingering problems with Starshield, the military arm of Elon Musk's Starlink system. A ministry source said "instances of signal loss are still being observed," Al Jazeera reports.

The move follows sudden restrictions on Starlink services announced by Ukrainian officials on October 13, which left the military scrambling. Connectivity reportedly remains spotty even though US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Musk had restored access to the service, which plays a key role in Kyiv's war effort and air defences.

Questions persist over who ordered the restrictions, with Musk and Trump administration officials trading blame amid a deepening feud between Trump and Zelenskyy, Al Jazeera reports.