Ukraine says it received no warning of Russian missile attack

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 14:32 · Archive

Ukraine received no advance warning of a Russian attack using over 100 drones and ballistic missiles on Kyiv, President Zelensky said.

Russia attacked Kyiv with over 100 drones and five ballistic missiles, catching Ukraine without advance warning, President Zelensky said on Tuesday. Ukraine normally receives alerts about impending Russian missile strikes through a system operated by the United States military and NATO members. However, Politico reports that American officials told Ukrainians the warning failed due to bad weather conditions, which Kyiv views as an inadequate explanation. An unnamed official told Politico that some in Kyiv worry the malfunction may not have been accidental.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ignat said the missile warning system has malfunctioned before and that specialists would work with partners to resolve any technical issues. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said intelligence sharing through the system is ongoing. Zelensky emphasised that early warning about ballistic missiles is critical for saving lives.

The incident comes days after reports that the Trump administration threatened to halt intelligence sharing and weapons sales if Ukraine did not stop striking Russian energy infrastructure. Politico reported Monday that the State Department and Pentagon made this warning. Zelensky has since stated that Ukraine has not carried out strikes on Russian oil refineries for two days following the announcement of an energy ceasefire by the American President.

How it is being reported

• Allies did not warn Kyiv of Russian ballistic missile strikes, says ZelenskyyUkrainian president’s comments on ‘particularly vile’ strikes come after US threatened to halt intelligence sharing Europe live – latest updates Ukraine received no early warning from its partners about a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv in which five missiles hit civilian infrastructure, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday. The Ukrainian president described the attack on Monday as “particularly vile”. He emphasised that receiving intelligence from Ukraine’s western allies “helps saves lives, and this is one of the most critical issues”. Continue reading...The Guardian · 13 Oct, 14:51
• Ukraine had ‘no warning’ of latest Russian ballistic missile strike on KyivZelenskyy said intelligence sharing is "precisely what helps prevent people from being killed."Politico Europe · 13 Oct, 14:21
• Ukraine got no warning about latest Russian strikes on Kyiv, Zelensky says after latest Trump critiqueUkrainian officials did not get a heads-up from "our partners" about the latest Russian assault on civilian sites in Kyiv.New York Post · 13 Oct, 12:48

In this story: Volodymyr Zelensky · Ukraine · Russia · Kyiv · United States

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