{"id":8938,"date":"2026-10-15T12:17:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=8938"},"modified":"2026-10-15T12:17:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:17:19","slug":"ukrainians-fear-us-intelligence-cuts-as-russian-strikes-intensify-russia-ukraine-war-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=8938","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainians fear US intelligence cuts as Russian strikes intensify | Russia-Ukraine war News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kyiv, Ukraine \u2013<\/strong> The supernova-like blasts of exploding Russian ballistic missiles are followed by thunderous thumps, shockwaves, fires and deaths \u2013 and the staccato of Ukrainian air defence systems.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s nightly attacks on Ukraine that killed at least 15 and wounded dozens resembled hundreds of previous raids \u2013 with one exception.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

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The air raid sirens began howling just seconds before or after yet another wave of missiles struck apartment buildings, power plants and warehouses.<\/p>\n

But Ukraine\u2019s partners did not provide the country with intelligence data from NATO\u2019s early-warning satellites, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, as tensions between Washington and Kyiv rise.<\/p>\n

He did not name the United States and President Donald Trump has denied that Washington has stopped sharing intelligence.<\/p>\n

The constellation of military satellites detects Russian ballistic missile attacks by the rockets\u2019 thermal flames seconds after launch.<\/p>\n

The warnings give Ukrainians up to 10 minutes \u2013 precious, life-saving time to sound air raid sirens and send emergency text messages to prompt evacuations to bomb shelters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what helps prevent the killings,\u201d Zelenskyy said.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s ground radars can only detect the incoming missiles as their speed ranges from 6,000 to 12,000km\/h (3,730 \u2013 7,260 miles per hour).<\/p>\n

\u2018Trump pressures our president\u2019<\/h2>\n

Despite Trump\u2019s denial, Ukrainian observers have a simple yet harrowing explanation \u2013 the US president wants to help Republicans win more congressional seats in upcoming midterm elections by pressuring Kyiv into declaring an \u201cenergy ceasefire\u201d with Moscow that would drive global oil prices down.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump pressures our president, pressures Ukraine\u201d as he strives to \u201cget advantage by any means necessary in the election campaign,\u201d Lieutenant-General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of Ukraine\u2019s general staff of armed forces, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

The lack of intelligence data \u201csignificantly affects the effectiveness of air defence, we don\u2019t have time to respond,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Without the satellite data, Ukrainian drones and missiles also \u201close precision when striking targets deep in Russia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Trump announced the ceasefire that envisages no mutual strikes on energy infrastructure \u2013 from Russian oil refineries and fuel depots to Ukrainian power and heating stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cEffective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!\u201d Trump wrote on social media.<\/p>\n

Kyiv said the announcement was a surprise, while Moscow declined to say whether it backs the idea \u2013 and kept on hitting Ukraine\u2019s energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The pressure goes beyond the refineries as Trump wants to quickly reopen, arbitrate and complete peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow \u2013 even if they benefit the Kremlin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needs peace talks to succeed. Ideally, it is a certain unblocking of the peace settlement process, when Kyiv shows more willingness to agree with Russia\u2019s demands,\u201d Kyiv-based analyst Igar Tyshkevych told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

The pressure will continue until \u201cKyiv shows readiness for a compromise and concessions towards Russia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Moscow \u201csimply abuses\u201d the pressure and the suspension of air raid warnings to escalate attacks on Ukraine, he said.<\/p>\n

Kyiv\u2019s \u2018priority\u2019: The destruction of oil refineries<\/h2>\n

The suspension of data-sharing was especially shocking, given that Kyiv did stop hitting Russian refineries for three days.<\/p>\n

It was only on Wednesday that its drones attacked refineries in Saratov and Ryazan regions, said Russia\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister, Aleksander Novak.<\/p>\n

However, Kyiv\u2019s focus on striking oil refineries is ineffective and counterproductive, another observer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyiv\u2019s strategic priority is still the destruction of oil refineries,\u201d Nikolay Mitrokhin of Germany\u2019s Bremen University, who has penned hundreds of authoritative analyses of the hostilities, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

However, Russia overcame the initial shock by transporting gas from refineries in Siberia and exporting it from neighbouring Belarus and Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n

No economic collapse, massive joblessness or public protests followed the strikes, while Moscow continued its air raids, adding jet-powered drones that resemble cruise missiles and are hard to down with Ukraine\u2019s existing air defence system, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the basis for Kyiv\u2019s and its backers\u2019 conviction that strikes on oil refineries and depots will lead to Russia\u2019s strategic defeat before Ukraine is defeated? I don\u2019t understand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

However, Ukrainian attacks on data centres, bridges and factories where drones are assembled are far more effective, he said.<\/p>\n

Recent strikes on data centres of Russian online giant Yandex and the state-run Sberbank resulted in disruptions of services in Russia and even former Soviet republics where Yandex operates its online payment, food delivery and taxi services.<\/p>\n

Trump \u201cdidn\u2019t ask him to stop the war, to give away cities or stop striking Russian rears in general,\u201d Mitrokhin said.<\/p>\n

Kyiv has repeatedly reiterated that it was ready to start peace talks if they are preceded by a ceasefire, but Moscow wanted to continue ground assaults and air raids until the peace terms were finalised \u2013 which could take months or even years.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re ready for any turn of events\u2019<\/h2>\n

On Wednesday, Ukraine\u2019s drone czar accused Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX of throttling Starlink satellite terminals that are part of the military-grade Starshield system.<\/p>\n

Serhiy Beskrestnov said that SpaceX abruptly and without any warning limited services for terminals placed on drones flying over 160km\/h (100mph).<\/p>\n

The limit affected crucially-important interceptor drones and followed Trump\u2019s request, presidential adviser Serhii Sternenko said.<\/p>\n

Musk said that the White House owns and controls the Starshield systems and that any limits on speed are decided by Trump.<\/p>\n

Some military analysts warn that the limit may be followed by a total shutdown of Starlink for Ukraine that could damage the quality of all military communications.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we were getting ready for everything,\u201d Andriy Pronin told Al Jazeera. \u201cWe already know it may happen, that\u2019s why we\u2019re ready for any turn of events.\u201d<\/p>\n

In September 2022, Musk secretly ordered engineers to switch off Starlink coverage in the Russia-occupied Kherson region, effectively thwarting Kyiv\u2019s push to retake it, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Musk threatened to cut off Ukrainian military access to Starlink unless the US defence department took over the costs.<\/p>\n

Later, the Pentagon, Poland and other European allies took over the costs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Kyiv, Ukraine \u2013 The supernova-like blasts of exploding Russian ballistic missiles are followed by thunderous thumps, shockwaves, fires and deaths \u2013 and the staccato of Ukrainian air defence systems. This week\u2019s nightly attacks on Ukraine that killed at least 15 and wounded dozens resembled hundreds of previous raids \u2013 with one exception. Recommended Stories list…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t