Ukraine received no intelligence from its Western partners about Russia’s October 12 missile strike on Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Unfortunately, we received no early warning from our partners about this strike. Intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches helps save lives, and this is one of the most critical issues. This is precisely what helps prevent people from being killed,” he said on social media.
Russia attacked Kyiv with five ballistic missiles on the evening of October 12. Ukrainska Pravda reported that radar detected the missiles during the attack, and the city’s air raid alert sounded only after the first explosions. The Ukrainian Air Force said it had received no information about missile launches from Russian territory.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha attributed the delayed alert to “a particular type of weapon used by Russia.” He said Kyiv and Washington continue to share intelligence.
Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said similar situations had occurred before. “Sometimes this information doesn’t get through. This isn’t the first time… If there were some technical issues this time, I think the specialists will figure it out. And they’ll work with our partners to fix this problem,” he said.
Serhii Beskrestnov, the president’s adviser on technological innovation in the Ukrainian armed forces, said the incident did not mean the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
Friends, this isn’t the first time our partners’ intelligence services have failed to detect an S-400 launch. There are some details to consider. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Beskrestnov said he did not believe Kyiv and Washington would stop sharing intelligence, since civilians’ lives were at stake.
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