Starlink ‘catastrophe’ for Russia as Musk shuts down access across front line in Ukraine
"The enemy at the front doesn't have a problem, the enemy has a catastrophe," Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov said.
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Asami Terajima
ReporterAsami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.
Articles
Kyiv groans a collective ‘WTF?’ to Trump’s latest Putin comments
U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that his Russian counterpart "kept his word" by not launching mass missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure for a week has been met with bewilderment and dismay in Kyiv.
"I believe this is either a mockery of our misfortune, a lack of understanding of the situation, or wishful thinking," Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker from the opposition European Solidarity party, told the Kyiv Independent.
The confusing saga of a supposed truce on stri
Ukraine war latest: Russian forces trying to 'bypass and infiltrate' Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, military says
This is Asami Terajima reporting from a very cold Kyiv on day 1,440 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
Russian troops are trying to "bypass and infiltrate" the destroyed town of Vovchansk in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, and the situation is "frankly difficult," Viktor Tregubov, a spokesman for Ukraine's Joint Forces in charge of the area, said on Feb. 2.
Speaking on national TV, Tregubov said Russian troops are pressing on Ukrainian positions on the outskirts of Vo
Russian officials call for 'more powerful weapons' to attack Ukraine as temperatures drop
Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin's threat comes a few days after Ukrainian, Russian, and U.S. officials held the latest round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23-24.
'Russians are to blame' — Moldovans react to mass power outage after Moldova-Ukraine line malfunction
Moldova suffered a major power outage on Jan. 31, leaving most of its capital without electricity in the morning and halting trolleybuses and traffic lights.
Parts of Moldova experienced power disruptions when Ukraine reported "a cascade shutdown" in its power grid due to technical malfunctions on high-voltage lines connecting the two countries' power systems. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said transmission lines between Romania and Moldova, as well as between western and central Ukraine, were
'Everyone in shock' – Kyiv residents left without power, heating, and water as grid disruption causes mass blackout across Ukraine
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported "a cascade shutdown" in Ukraine's power grid in the morning on Jan. 31.
At least 5 killed, 19 injured in Russian attacks over past day
The Air Force said on Jan. 31 that Russia launched 85 drones against Ukraine overnight, of which 55 were Shahed-type drones. It said that it had downed 64 drones in the north, south, and east of the country.
Defense Ministry working with SpaceX to solve Russian use of Starlink on drones
Ukraine says it is working with SpaceX to stop Russian drones from using Starlink, after reports that satellite-connected UAVs are extending their range to strike deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine repatriates bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers
Russia confirmed that it had handed over 1,000 bodies to Ukraine under the Istanbul agreement in exchange for 38 bodies of fallen Russian soldiers, Kremlin-controlled news agency TASS reported on Jan. 29.
Over half a million left Kyiv in January amid Russia's energy blitz, mayor Klitschko says
Klitschko's press service told the Kyiv Independent that the 600,000 number was calculated from mobile phone billing data.
Russia targets nuclear power plant substations, thousands in Kyiv without power, water
At least one person in Kyiv has been injured, local authorities reported. Ukraine's Air Force has warned that Russian ballistic missiles are targeting multiple regions, including the capital.
Russia attacks energy infrastructure in 'several regions' overnight, energy ministry says
Russia struck energy infrastructure overnight in “several regions,” cutting power in five oblasts as freezing temperatures add strain to Ukraine’s grid, Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said.
Ukraine's SBU 'destroyed or disabled' $4 billion worth of Russian air defense systems over past year, agency claims
Among the Russian air defense systems that endured "destruction" are S-300, S-350, and S-400 air defense systems, as well as Russian anti-aircraft missile systems BUK-M1 and BUK-M2, and Pantsir-S1 and Pantsir-S2 air defense systems, according to the SBU.
Inside Ukraine's AWOL and military desertion crisis
Panic attacks have haunted Ukrainian serviceman Yaroslav since he returned home in the summer, leaving him gasping at night.
Frustration with his commanders drove the 33-year-old to go absent without leave (AWOL), joining a growing number of Ukrainian soldiers who have left their units without permission. For Yaroslav, then a deputy platoon commander, it began with what he described as his leadership's "indifference" to soldiers' lives.
Yaroslav said his command kept ordering missions that, in
2 million Ukrainians evading mobilization, another 200,000 soldiers AWOL, new defense minister says
The rare report on numbers comes as Ukraine faces a critical manpower shortage.
