Zelensky adviser says gaps in US missile warnings have cost lives
A top adviser to Ukraine's president said Ukrainians have died because Kyiv still isn't getting reliable US warnings of Russian missile attacks, the BBC and NV reported. A White House official said there were no changes to intelligence sharing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied any pause.
Ukrainians have died because Kyiv is still not receiving reliable US warnings of incoming Russian missile attacks, Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in an interview with the BBC, the BBC and NV reported.
"People [have] already died," Beskrestnov said, according to the BBC, adding that there had not been time to warn citizens about ballistic missile strikes. "This looks very strange, sometimes we receive this information before an attack begins, and sometimes we don't," he said, NV reported.
Ukraine first reported an interruption to US intelligence sharing last week amid a row with the Trump administration over its deal to import Russian oil, the BBC reported. Zelensky said in an NBC interview that sharing had been restored after a three-day pause, the BBC reported. But on Monday he wrote that two overnight ballistic missile attacks hit the capital, "one without warning," the BBC reported.
Beskrestnov said other US cooperation continues and "the issue is solely with the air raid alert component," the BBC reported. He said the timing alongside restrictions on Starlink's military service Starshield was "probably" meant to pressure Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, the BBC and NV reported. Elon Musk has suggested the US government controls Starshield access, and President Donald Trump has denied involvement, the BBC reported.
US officials disputed the account. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had not been a "pause" in intelligence sharing. "I don't know where [Zelensky is] getting these things," Rubio said, according to the BBC. He said there had been "a software problem involving their early warning system," the BBC reported. A White House official said there were no changes to intelligence sharing with Ukraine, the BBC reported.
One person was killed and eight injured in Kyiv during the October 19 attack, NV reported.
What we know: A Zelensky adviser says US missile warnings remain unreliable, while US officials deny any change in intelligence sharing.
What we don't: What caused the missed warnings, and whether the problem has been fixed.
Where outlets agree The BBC and NV report that Beskrestnov said US warnings of Russian missile attacks remain incomplete and inconsistent.
Where they differ Beskrestnov says gaps in US missile warnings have cost Ukrainian lives, while a White House official says there were no changes to intelligence sharing and Rubio denied any pause, citing a software problem.