KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones lost some of their speed after restrictions were suddenly imposed on battlefield use of the country's U.S.-made Starlink communication terminals, officials said Wednesday as the capital endured a second consecutive night of missile attacks.
At the same time, Ukraine did not receive the usual advance warning from its Western partners about the devastating Russian ballistic missiles aimed at Kyiv, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, triggering fears that Ukraine is being starved of vital intelligence, especially from the U.S.
Zelenskyy did not specify which partners he was talking about when referring to the lack of warning. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. has not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
The developments frustrated the Ukrainian military and deepened fears that Kyiv’s relationship with Washington is unraveling.
Ukrainian officials fear U.S. support for the war effort is falling away after Trump struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel despite international efforts to sanction Russia for its invasion and isolate Putin.
Trump has also leveled sharp criticism at Zelenskyy. He said Saturday that it was time for Ukraine to get a new president, suggesting Zelenskyy has not done enough to end the war with Russia and blaming him for high diesel prices in the U.S.
Trump’s efforts to stop the fighting have yielded no progress.
Ukrainian officials are concerned that U.S. support, especially related to the sharing of military intelligence and the use of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications system, may be in jeopardy.
The American tech titan's SpaceX company overnight imposed a speed limit on Ukraine’s Starlink terminals mounted on drones, Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said on social media. The restriction disrupted operations, including making the slower-flying attack drones easier targets for Russian defenses.
By late Wednesday, drone operators were reporting improved data connections at speeds up to 161 kph (100 mph), Zelenskyy said.
But a Ukrainian official said that was still too slow to intercept jet-powered Russian drones, and the country needed all restrictions to be lifted. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military details.
Musk said on X that the military version of Starlink is controlled by the U.S. military and Trump. The Pentagon and U.S. Space Force did not immediately respond to questions about any restrictions that the American military may have placed on satellite-communication services in Ukraine.
Starlink is a vital tool for the Ukrainian military, both in offensive and defensive operations. The network is used for long-range drone missions, interceptor air-defense systems and front-line logistics, Beskrestnov said.
“Obviously, this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation,” Beskrestnov said, without elaborating.
The White House did not offer any immediate comment.
Yurii Ihnat, Ukraine’s air force spokesman, said there was no warning of an initial Russian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday night, although Kyiv was warned about three later waves of missiles.
A lawmaker on Ukraine’s parliamentary Defense Committee told The Associated Press that intelligence sharing with international partners has not stopped. The lawmaker spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give statements to the press.
Five people were killed and 36 wounded in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital that lasted from Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, Kyiv police said.
Zelenskyy voiced outrage Wednesday over Russia’s continuing aerial bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in apparent defiance of Trump’s demand for a ceasefire.
“We ask America and EVERYONE in the world who does not turn a blind eye to reality to respond — and to respond forcefully” to Russia’s ongoing aerial barrages, Zelenskyy said in a social media post.
“Russia has squandered the opportunity for de-escalation and has clearly chosen to continue its insane war of annihilation,” he said.
Moscow’s forces pounded the Ukrainian power grid, as well as oil and gas facilities, for the third straight night, Zelenskyy said, after Trump claimed that Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to strike energy infrastructure 4½ years after Moscow’s forces invaded.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has agreed to halt Ukraine's monthslong campaign targeting Russian oil refineries that caused fuel shortages for Russians.
Ukraine’s last widely reported hit on an oil refinery was Friday. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak accused Ukraine of attacking more refineries Wednesday, something local officials and independent media did not report. Ukraine called it a false claim.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that details of the energy ceasefire are still being decided. “The work in that direction is continuing,” he told reporters.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its forces attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in Kyiv, the wider Kyiv region and the northeastern Kharkiv region overnight, striking a total of six power plants.
Russian forces hit all three of Kyiv’s combined heat and power plants overnight into Wednesday, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said. At least 600,000 people were left without power, Zelenskyy said.
Russia fired 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at energy and other infrastructure in Kyiv, the Kyiv region and Kharkiv overnight, Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy arrived Wednesday in London for talks with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who announced the accelerated delivery of British-made air defenses for Ukraine.
Ahead of their hourlong meeting at Downing Street, Burnham told Zelenskyy that Britain’s support for Ukraine would not change as he acknowledged that recent days have been “dark and difficult” for Ukraine. Zelenskyy also met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.
European leaders fear Moscow’s wider ambitions on the continent and accuse Russia of sabotage as part of a hybrid war. They seek to keep Washington on Ukraine's side.
Ukrainian officials say they are pushing back Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, which Russia’s bigger army has been trying to capture for years.
Ukraine has liberated 277 square kilometers (107 square miles) in the operation that started in the summer, Ukraine’s Third Army Corps commander Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi said Wednesday.
It was not possible to independently verify the claim, and Russian officials did not comment.
Russian air defenses overnight downed 902 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions, illegally annexed Crimea and the waters of the Azov Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 493 drones flew toward the capital region. Most were downed far away, and 180 were intercepted as they approached the Russian capital, he said. He did not report any damage or casualties.
Russia’s state-backed Sberbank confirmed an attack on its Saratov data center, once slated to become Europe’s biggest data center.
Russian state news agency Tass quoted a member of the bank's board as saying that Sberbank systems were operating normally.
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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press Writer Jill Lawless in London contributed.
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