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Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Zelenskyy says partners not warning Ukraine of incoming ballistic missiles

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he received no early warning from international partners about incoming Russian ballistic missile strikes on civilian infrastructure in Kyiv.

Russian forces struck the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles on Tuesday, killing two people in a high-rise apartment, then hitting a critical thermal power plant in the second attack in 24 hours.

"Once again, no advance warning from our partners. The main target was energy infrastructure, specifically thermal plant No. 4," Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.

Mr Zelenskyy said it was unfair that Kyiv was enduring attacks without warnings from partners.

"According to our intelligence, the Russians are preparing further ballistic missile launches.

"The facts show that the Russians do not consider themselves bound to abide by what the president of the United States said," he added, referring to US President Donald Trump's announcement of an energy ceasefire at the weekend.

"And it is certainly unfair that they are destroying our energy infrastructure while Ukraine is not even receiving warnings about ballistic missile launches."

Kyiv relies heavily on US intelligence for early warnings of missile strikes.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump shake hands while seated in front of a UN wall.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) said it was unfair for Ukraine to operate without warning of strikes from its partners. (Supplied: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service)

Mr Zelenskyy had earlier said Ukraine had again received no warning from Western partners before a previous overnight attack on the capital.

Mr Trump said Washington was still sharing intelligence, even as he pressured Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian refineries.

Reuters and other media have reported that US officials have threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons sales to Ukraine unless it stops attacking Russian refineries.

Starlink limited in Ukraine

On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials confirmed SpaceX had introduced a limit on some Starlink services in Ukraine, disrupting combat drone missions that rely on the technology.

The satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk's company are crucial in guiding Ukraine's longer-range drone strikes in occupied southern and eastern Ukraine, which have assisted in disrupting Russian logistics.

"Our defence forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions," presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.

Beskrestnov said SpaceX had stopped the operation of its military-grade version above 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).

Ukraine's 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, deployed in the south-east, said units had been forced to cancel some missions.

"According to our observations, during flights, the connection could drop for 10-20 seconds at speeds of just 110-120 km/h. The drones kept moving, but these interruptions made them harder to control," the Rapid Reaction Corps said in a statement.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular US business hours.

Although it was not immediately clear why Starlink's service was throttled, the move comes as Washington pressures Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Starlink does not work inside Russia, and the Ukrainian drones hitting Russia's oil industry use other means of communication.

Two killed in struck apartment 

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strike on a nine-storey building had killed two people and injured 21. Sixteen people were being treated in hospital, and four were in serious condition.

Emergency crews were battling fires in apartments throughout the building, and residents were being evacuated.

Ukrainian authorities confirmed on Wednesday morning that the hours-long missile and drone attack that unfolded overnight, primarily targeting Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, had damaged 30 energy facilities.

At least 600,000 people were left without power, according to Mr Zelenskyy.

Unconfirmed energy ceasefire

Mr Trump, who lifted sanctions on Russian diesel last week in a bid to lower politically sensitive fuel prices, has said that both sides agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv confirmed this.

Vladimir Putin giving an address on a stage

Vladimir Putin did not confirm whether the energy ceasefire had been agreed upon. (AP: Dmitri Lovetsky)

"The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale – Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States," Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X.

"Russia does not consider the American president's statements strong."

Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday it had struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv, among other targets.

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