OMM Newsroom
Ukraine’s supply of Patriot air defense missiles has fallen to a critical level, potentially leaving the country more vulnerable to Russian attacks. The Washington Post reported this, citing a Ukrainian official and another person familiar with the matter.
The Ukrainian official told the newspaper that the country has only two Patriot missiles left. The article says these are the only weapons capable of reliably intercepting ballistic missiles fired by Russia at Ukraine.
Intensive use of missiles in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East has also sharply reduced global stockpiles.
According to Reuters, citing US and Western officials, the White House ordered restrictions on the satellite internet system used by the Ukrainian military for battlefield communications and to control drones.
Two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter said the leadership of the US Department of Defense had been told to slow the operation of SpaceX’s Starshield service for the Ukrainian military. The officials did not say who in the White House made the decision or who was responsible for implementing the directive.
The Pentagon is the largest customer of Starshield, the military version of Starlink.
Ukrainian officials said this week that military Starlink receivers did not work when mounted on fast-moving objects, disrupting drones flying over Ukrainian territory that use the system for navigation.
A person at Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that the receivers were now working while in motion, but that their speed must not exceed 160 kilometers per hour.
