Ukraine again lacked missile warning from partners, presidential adviser says
In short
A Ukrainian presidential adviser said partners again failed to warn Kyiv about a missile threat, TASS reported late on October 13. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier said Ukraine received no warning about the October 12 strike, while the foreign minister said intelligence sharing with Washington continued.
Read the full story 1 min read
A Ukrainian presidential adviser said Western partners again failed to warn Kyiv about a missile threat, TASS reported late on October 13. The outlet said Ukrainian military personnel and relevant services were examining why warnings were absent. Earlier that day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said partners provided no warning about the October 12 missile strike on Kyiv. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Zelenskyy said intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches helps save lives and is one of the most critical issues, Meduza reported. The outlet said Russia attacked Kyiv with five ballistic missiles on the evening of October 12. Citing Ukrainska Pravda, it reported that radar detected the missiles during the attack and that an air-raid alert was issued after the first explosions. [ 4 ]
Ukraine's foreign minister attributed the delayed alert to the particular type of weapon used by Russia and said intelligence sharing between Kyiv and Washington continued. An adviser on technological innovation in the armed forces also said the incident did not mean the United States had stopped sharing intelligence. Those statements were reported by Meduza. [ 4 ]
An air force spokesperson said similar situations had occurred before and that information sometimes did not arrive. If technical factors were involved, specialists and partners would work to address them, the spokesperson said. The technological adviser also cautioned against hasty conclusions, saying partners' intelligence services had previously failed to detect S-400 launches. [ 4 ]
The reports came alongside accounts of possible U.S. pressure on Ukraine. RIA Novosti cited CNN reporting that Washington had warned it was prepared to stop sharing intelligence, and Politico reporting that Ukraine could lose access to Starlink satellite communications. RIA Novosti said there was no official confirmation of that information. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Zelenskyy said intelligence about ballistic missile launches helps save lives by providing warnings. Ukrainian officials said the absence of a warning did not establish that the United States had stopped intelligence sharing.
Key facts
- A Ukrainian presidential adviser said partners again failed to warn Kyiv about a missile threat. [ 6 ]
- Zelenskyy said partners provided no warning about the October 12 strike on Kyiv. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Ukraine's foreign minister said intelligence sharing with Washington continued. [ 4 ]
- Ukrainian military and relevant services were examining why warnings were absent, the adviser said. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received no warning from partners about the October 12 strike. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- A presidential adviser said there was again no warning about a missile threat, TASS reported. [ 6 ]
- Ukrainian military and relevant services were examining the absence of warnings, a presidential adviser said. [ 6 ]
Still unclear
- Why advance warnings were absent. TASS said Ukrainian military and services were examining the reasons; Meduza reported officials discussing possible technical factors without establishing a cause.