Russia’s energy attacks helped by Starshield restrictions

Russia struck energy and railway infrastructure in eight regions of Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said yesterday, in attacks he said were made partly possible due to restrictions on Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s Starshield service.

“The Russians are targeting substations with ‘shaheds,’” he wrote on X, referring to the Iranian-made drones Russia commonly launches across Ukraine.

“And many of these strikes are getting through because restrictions on the operating speed of Starshield terminals along the front line and in the temporarily occupied territories are still there,” he said.

Rubble lies around a building damaged during a Russian drone strike in Chornomorsk, Ukraine, yesterday.

Photo: Reuters

Zelenskiy comments come a day after saying that Washington had suggested that Ukraine cede land to Russia in exchange for joining NATO, indicating that his country’s ties with the Western military alliance are “back on the agenda.”

Zelenskiy said the Kremlin was “betting everything” on this winter’s military campaign.

Moscow has pounded Ukraine in the run-up to the colder months, with Russian President Vladimir Putin showing no sign of backing down.

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Putin and Zelenskiy separately on Thursday after two days of talks with their delegations in Abu Dhabi, which ended with no breakthrough.

“The Americans raised a question: ‘What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?’ This was the first time this had been raised,” Zelenskiy said.

“After providing Ukraine with this kind of defense support, seeing this kind of development of our army and this strength in our defense, they cannot simply let Ukraine go,” he added.

The discussion showed that “NATO is back on the agenda” for Ukraine, he said.