Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine did not receive a warning from the US about an impending Russian missile attack on Sunday evening, reviving concerns that Washington is withholding intelligence to pressure Kyiv into capitulating to Moscow. Yuri Ihnat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, said on television on Monday morning that Ukraine had not received a warning before a Russian missile barrage hit power plants in Kyiv at around 11pm. Earlier, a Ukrainian government official had told the Guardian the US had not warned the capital about the impending missile strike. Ukraine did receive a warning before a subsequent strike at 3am, Ihnat added.
“Once again, Russia launched a ballistic missile attack in multiple waves throughout the night, and once again, there was no warning from our partners,” Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post on Monday morning. “When the supply of missiles for Ukrainian air defence is blocked, and Russia receives sanctions relief or delays, it is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners,” the president added.
On Friday, Donald Trump waived a sweeping package of sanctions on Russia, telling Congress the pause on the legislation—named after the late senator Lindsey Graham and passed by both chambers—was in the national interest. Ukraine has also complained of slowed deliveries of PAC-3 air defence missiles from the US. The US president wrote on Truth Social on Sunday: “My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table. Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him … he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.”
For years, the US had warned Ukraine before Russia launches ballistic missiles, giving authorities several minutes to sound alarms and allow civilians to reach shelters before the strikes hit. However, Ukraine has said it was not warned on at least three days in the past week before missiles were launched, amid a public quarrel between Zelenskyy and Trump.
Speaking in the early hours of Monday on a trip to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said: “If it happened last night, I don’t know exactly. I know a few nights ago there was a software problem involving their early warning system.” US officials have not previously mentioned a software glitch in the early warning system. In at least one case, Ukrainian officials had been told that bad weather over southern Russia had obscured preparations for the missile launch. Rubio said the military’s European Command was looking into the strikes.
The US has maintained plausible deniability as services and programmes provided to support Ukraine have suddenly begun to fail. The Trump administration has denied that it throttled services in Ukraine for Starlink, the satellite internet service run by Elon Musk that is used both on offensive drones and anti-air weapons by Ukraine. Ukraine has also said US weapons delivered through the PURL scheme, where Europe purchases US weapons then delivers them to Ukraine, have been delayed. The Trump administration reportedly threatened Kyiv with a slowdown in crucial weapons deliveries unless it stopped striking Russian oil refineries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Heres a list of FAQs about Zelenskyy saying the US did not warn Ukraine about Russian strikes on Kyivs power plants
1 What exactly did Zelenskyy say
He said the US did not warn Ukraine in advance about Russian strikes targeting Kyivs power plants suggesting Ukraine was left unprepared for those attacks
2 When did he say this
He made the statement in an interview with The Washington Post published in late October 2024 reflecting on the war over the past year
3 What did the US say in response
US officials pushed back saying they had consistently shared intelligence with Ukraine and warned about Russian threats though they declined to discuss specific warnings publicly
4 Which power plants were hit
Russian strikes damaged or destroyed parts of Ukraines energy grid including facilities supplying Kyiv leading to blackouts and rolling power outages across the country
5 Why do advance warnings matter
Warnings give Ukraine time to strengthen air defenses move equipment and prepare backup power reducing damage and protecting civilians
6 Did the US actually share intelligence with Ukraine
Yes The US has shared significant intelligence throughout the war but the dispute is over whether specific warnings about these plant strikes were given
7 Why might warnings not have been shared
Possible reasons include protecting intelligence sources uncertainty about targets or concerns about how the information would be used The exact reason is disputed
8 What is intelligence sharing in this context
It means one country gives another information like satellite images or intercepted communications about enemy plans or movements
9 Why is this disagreement significant
It raises questions about trust between Kyiv and Washington and about how well Ukraine is being prepared for attacks on critical infrastructure
10 Did the strikes affect civilians
Yes Damage to power plants caused blackouts heating disruptions and hardship for millions of Ukrainians especially in winter
11 What has Ukraine asked for to prevent these strikes
More air defense systems longrange weapons and clearer earlier intelligence about incoming attacks
12 How has the US supported Ukraines air defenses
The US has provided Patriot systems and other air defense equipment though Ukraine says it still needs more to cover its cities and infrastructure
13 Was this the first time Ukraine criticized US warnings
No Ukrainian officials have previously complained about the pace and specificity of Western
