Brief
US may have withheld missile warnings from Ukraine, sources say
Ukrainian officials say they received no advance warning as Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones, while US officials dispute the allegation.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Multiple sources familiar with U.S. intelligence said the United States deliberately withheld early warnings of Russian missile strikes that hit Kyiv and other locations on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing six people and leaving about 600,000 without power, CBS News reported.
What happened
On Tuesday, Russia launched a ballistic missile barrage at Kyiv and other sites. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine "received no advance warning from our partners." The attacks killed six civilians and caused widespread power outages affecting roughly 600,000 customers. A second wave of missiles struck around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday, after which the U.S. early‑warning system reportedly functioned again.
What the reports add
The sources told CBS News that the U.S. early‑warning system failed on Tuesday because of "bad weather," a claim Ukrainian officials rejected, accusing the United States of "playing" with the system. The same sources said the United States had previously failed to share intelligence on a Russian ballistic missile launch earlier in the year, citing a shift of resources to the Middle East.
What was said
Zelensky told CBS News that Kyiv received no early warning from Western partners about the missile strike. Former President Donald Trump, when asked if the United States had stopped sharing intelligence, replied, "No, we haven't. We help them, but we're really helping them get to a final answer. We want the war ended," and added, "We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end, so we're working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end."
How it came about
The alleged withholding follows a weekend in which the Trump administration threatened to curb intelligence sharing and halt the sale of U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine. Earlier this week, U.S. officials had warned Ukrainian officials that the early‑warning system might be compromised, a point later contested by Kyiv officials. The episode follows a series of recent Russian strikes across Ukraine, including the October 9 attacks that killed three civilians, as covered in Felo News's earlier reporting.
Key facts
- U.S. may have withheld early warnings of Russian missile strikes that killed six people in Kyiv. (cbsnews.com)
- Around 600,000 Ukrainians lost power after the attacks. (cbsnews.com)
- President Zelensky said Kyiv received no advance warning from partners. (cbsnews.com)
- Former President Trump denied that the U.S. stopped sharing intelligence. (cbsnews.com)
Sources
- [1] cbsnews.com — originally reported as “U. S. may have withheld warnings to Ukraine of Russian strikes that killed 6, cut power to 600,000, sources say”
