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Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv and plunged hundreds of thousands into darkness overnight, authorities said Wednesday, in an attack Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called “ostentatious disrespect” to Donald Trump’s peace effort.
The hours-long missile and drone attack primarily targeted Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and damaged 30 energy facilities, Zelenskyy said. At least 600,000 people were left without power, he added.
“The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale — Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“Russia does not consider the American president’s statements strong.”
Ukraine received no warnings from partners about missile attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv received no intelligence from its partners about incoming ballistic missile attacks that struck the capital. While Zelenskyy did not specifically accuse the United States of withholding intelligence, several media outlets have reported that U.S. officials have threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons sales to Ukraine if Kyiv does not halt deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy had earlier said Ukraine had received no warning from Western partners before a previous overnight attack on the capital. Trump said Tuesday that Washington was still sharing intelligence.
Sources have told Reuters and other news organizations that the U.S. threatened to cut off intelligence used for early warning of missile strikes on Ukraine unless Kyiv stops attacking Russian oil refineries.
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, though neither Moscow nor Kyiv confirmed it.
Starlink questions
Ukrainian officials also said Wednesday that SpaceX had introduced a limit on some Starlink services within the country, disrupting combat drone missions for which the technology is crucial.
The satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk’s company are vital for guiding Ukraine’s longer-range drone strikes in occupied southern and eastern Ukraine, which have wreaked havoc on 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.
A firefighter battles a blaze at an apartment building in Kyiv damaged by a Russian missile strike on Tuesday. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.
Zelenskyy is due in London on Wednesday for talks with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Kyiv and its European supporters are racing to shore up Ukrainian defences amid Russia’s escalating bombardment and doubts about the Trump administration’s commitment to helping Ukraine to fend off Moscow’s invasion, which began in February 2022.
Burnham’s office said the U.K. government will provide “urgent support” for Kyiv in the coming weeks and will accelerate delivery of air defence missiles that Ukraine desperately needs before the bitter winter sets in.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said Wednesday it had struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv, among other targets.
Ukraine reported downing just four out of 39 missiles, reflecting Kyiv’s weakened air defence against fast-moving ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones amid a shortage of weapons.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian cities ahead of winter as it struggles on the battlefield, sparking fears of widespread power and heating outages across the country.
Ukraine, for its part, has increasingly been attacking Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs in recent months, in what it views as one of the few ways it can respond to more than four-and-a-half years of Russian bombardment.
Wednesday’s Russian attacks also targeted state railway facilities in five regions across Ukraine, said Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi.
Trump blames Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for the rise in fuel costs, especially of diesel, which has hit record prices since his war against Iran disrupted global oil supplies.