Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday that the country will resume strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. He stated the decision was made after Russia continued to attack Ukraine’s power facilities during a proposed “energy ceasefire.”
The development follows a temporary pause in Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy targets. In an interview with the Financial Times, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had halted its strikes for three days at the request of the United States. “The block is out. We’re done,” Zelenskyy told the publication.
The “energy ceasefire” was announced Sunday by U.S. President Donald Trump, who described it as an effort to halt mutual attacks on energy facilities.
In a separate interview released Wednesday with journalist Piers Morgan, Zelenskyy stated that during the three-day pause, Russia launched strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure that included approximately 40 ballistic missiles. He said he had previously told U.S. officials that he did not expect Russia to adhere to the agreement.
Concurrent with these events, Ukrainian officials reported disruptions to the Starlink satellite internet service, which is used for military communications. Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy on defense technology, said Wednesday on the social media platform Telegram that SpaceX had applied a speed limit on Starlink terminals that are in motion. Beskrestnov stated, “It is clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk addressed the matter on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” Musk wrote on Wednesday. Starshield is a military-grade satellite network operated by SpaceX. The White House and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment on the original report.
During his interview with Morgan, when asked if he felt “betrayed” by recent events, Zelenskyy responded, “Really, yes.” He added that Ukraine’s survival and its strategic relationship with the United States were more important than his personal emotions. He also referred to the reported restrictions on Starlink as an “absolutely crazy” action inconsistent with a partnership.
