Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday night that Ukraine’s Western backers didn’t provide an early warning for a Russian ballistic missile attack for the second night in a row.
“A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Once again, no early warning from our partners,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.
Earlier in the day, other Ukrainian officials downplayed the lack of an early warning for a Russian ballistic missile attack that occurred on Monday night, saying that the US and other NATO countries have previously failed to detect Russian missiles launched.
Colonel Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said that the typical early warning for the October 12 strikes was delayed. “The intelligence data that everyone is talking about now varies. There is intelligence utilizing satellite communications that not only the US but also other NATO countries share with Ukraine,” he said.
“There are moments when this information fails to arrive. This is not the first case… If there were certain technical issues this time, I believe the experts can sort it out. And we will resolve this problem together with our partners,” Inhat added.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelensky, said it was not the first time Ukraine’s allies had failed to detect a ballistic missile launch from an S-400, a Russian air defense system that can also be used to strike ground targets. “There are certain nuances. It is not worth making conclusions prematurely,” he said in a Facebook post on Monday night.
Zelensky’s comments have been tied to recent reporting that the US has been threatening to cut weapons shipments and intelligence to Ukraine if it doesn’t end attacks on Russian oil refineries, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that the US was still sharing intelligence, which was also reported by Ukrainian media.
It doesn’t appear that Ukraine has targeted any oil refineries inside Russia over the past two days, even as its massive drone attacks inside Russia have continued. Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks, including the strikes on oil refineries, are known to be supported by US intelligence.
Zelensky said in his post on Tuesday night that Russia struck a power plant in Kyiv and accused Moscow of violating an energy ceasefire announced by President Trump, though Moscow has declined to comment on Trump’s announcement and has said its discussions with the US on the issue are ongoing.
“The facts show that the Russians do not consider themselves bound by what the President of the United States said. Ukraine supported an energy ceasefire. Russia is targeting yet another power plant and the lives of our people,” Zelensky said.
