Kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — Restrictions imposed on Ukraine Starshield satellite communications system hamper its ability to intercept Russian drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
He warned that the limits of the system, operated by Elon Musk, EspaceXcould weaken defenses around Ukraine’s energy infrastructure before the winter monthswhile Moscow has repeatedly targeted the electrical network.
Ukrainian interceptor drones continue to lose contact with their operators when flying at more than 100 mph along the front line and over Russian-occupied territory, leaving them unable to catch Russian Shahed drones, Zelenskyy said.
“We are counting on the lifting of these restrictions,” he wrote on social networks. “The protection of Ukrainian lives and energy infrastructure before winter depends on it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and the President’s Office have been instructed to work closely with the American side and SpaceX. It is important to be on the right side of history. We must help Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy questioned Saturday whether the problem was technical, saying the restrictions appeared to have been imposed by SpaceX despite earlier assurances from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Starshield was more under the control of the U.S. government.
Outages after Russian strike on power plant
Meanwhile, a Russian strike on Chornomorsk, a port city in Ukraine Odessa regionsix people were injured and energy infrastructure was damaged, regional head Oleh Kiper said on Telegram on Sunday.
The explosion and falling debris also damaged a gas pipeline and nearby residential buildings, while two parked cars caught fire.
The strike affected a facility operated by DTEK Odesa Electric Networks, leaving about 41,000 customers temporarily without power, Kiper said.
Nighttime Russian airstrikes on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia injured six more people, including a 2-year-old boy, Ukraine’s emergency service said Sunday.
Russia has launched more than 2,300 drones, 1,590 guided aerial bombs and 15 missiles of different types against Ukraine over the past week, Zelensky said.
Ukrainian attack leaves one dead in Russia’s Rostov region
Ukrainian drone strikes damaged two electricity substations in Russia’s Rostov region, killing a chief engineer, Governor Yuri Slyusar said on Sunday.
Four people were injured when drone debris fell on their cars, Slyusar wrote on social media. A fifth person was injured when debris hit a “production facility” in the village of Troitskoye, it said.
Ukrainian forces also targeted Russia’s Tatarstan region, officials said. Radmir Belyaev, mayor of Nizhnekamsk, the region’s third-largest city, said a “large-scale and prolonged attack” had damaged its industrial zone.
Six people were injured and heating and hot water supplies were interrupted in parts of the city, he said.
The Ukrainian General Staff said it had hit two sites in Nizhnekamsk: Nizhnekamskneftekhim, one of the largest petrochemical complexes in Europe, and a production site operated by the Sibur petrochemical company. An oil refinery in the region was also affected, according to the statement.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 533 Ukrainian drones overnight in 13 Russian regions, Ukraine’s Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Black and Azov Seas.
Drones damage Black Sea ships, Romania says
Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu said on Sunday that three commercial ships in the Black Sea were struck by drones overnight, the latest in a series of attacks that have raised fears the war could spill over into NATO territory.
“Once again, maritime security in the Black Sea is under threat,” Niculescu wrote on X.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said a Greek-flagged oil tanker was struck by a drone, sparking a fire that was put out by the crew. Two other ships were then hit by drones, and their crews also put out fires on board, the ministry said. No casualties were reported and the ministry did not specify the origin of the drones.
“These incidents are unacceptable and constitute a violation of international law,” Niculescu said, adding that they “reflect the deterioration of the security situation caused by Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.”
Last month, a chain of cargo ships and tankers were struck by air or naval forces drones near the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts. At least 30 sailors aboard commercial vessels have been confirmed dead or missing.
“We will continue to take all necessary measures, alongside our Allies, to strengthen security in the Black Sea,” Niculescu added. “This remains a key priority for the government, in close cooperation with our regional partners and NATO.”
Estonia threatens to close Russian border after sabotage attempt
The Estonian government announced on Sunday that it would close all border crossings with Russia from December 1, after the Baltic country’s prime minister accused Moscow of trying to sabotage an Estonian drone company the day before.
The government said an attempted attack was carried out early Saturday against Threod Systems in Viimsi, north of the capital Tallinn, “with the aim of causing an explosion and setting the building on fire.”
“If Russia continues its hybrid operations in Estonia and we know that Russian intelligence services are exploiting border crossings to exert influence over the population, we must be prepared to reduce the risks we face,” Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in a statement.
“Closing the border would reduce the threat to the Estonian population and send a clear message that attacks on Estonia’s defense industry and defense capabilities are unacceptable,” Michal added.
National broadcaster ERR reported on Sunday that eight Latvian nationals were arrested after the attempted break-in.
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Associated Press writers Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Switzerland, contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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