Russian strikes leave 600,000 without power in Ukraine, as Starlink restrictions affect front line

Key points

• At least 600,000 people in Ukraine are without electricity after overnight Russian missile and drone strikes.
• Three people were killed in Kyiv, and energy infrastructure was hit in Kyiv, its region and Kharkiv.
• Starlink speed limits of 160km/h have disrupted Ukrainian battlefield missions, a Zelensky adviser said.

At least 600,000 people in Ukraine are without electricity after deadly overnight Russian missile and drone strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. He said critical energy infrastructure was hit in Kyiv and the surrounding region and in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.

Officials said three people were killed in Kyiv. Russia said its massive strikes hit communications and energy facilities used by Ukraine's military. The strikes came despite US President Donald Trump's claim on Sunday that an energy ceasefire was in place between Russia and Ukraine.

Starlink speed limits hit missions

Zelensky's adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said speed restrictions on the Starlink communications network had disrupted Ukrainian battlefield missions. He said Elon Musk's SpaceX company had implemented a speed limit on Starlink terminals overnight, without informing Ukrainian troops.

Beskrestnov said the limits, set at 100mph (160km/h), had already caused the disruption of a number of missions. He added that the action could not be a coincidence and was related to the current political situation. A Ukrainian defence ministry source later told the BBC that restrictions affecting Starlink connectivity at speeds above 160 km/h were detected last night, though the exact threshold was still being verified. The source said the situation was significantly complicating operations, including logistics, unmanned systems and middle-strike missions. SpaceX has not commented.

It is clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation.

— Serhiy Beskrestnov

Air force reports and diplomacy

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and 128 drones overnight, and that four missiles and 115 drones were shot down. It was the second night in a row Kyiv was hit, and Zelensky is due to meet UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Downing Street on Wednesday to discuss accelerating air defence supplies.

Russia's defence ministry said 902 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russian regions including Moscow and Crimea. Trump wrote on social media on Sunday that an energy ceasefire was in effect and both parties had agreed. Zelensky has said Ukraine is ready to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities if Moscow does the same. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine does not deserve the respite a ceasefire would bring, adding that Europe would be able to pump Ukraine with new weapons.