Ukrainians dying because US restricting intelligence sharing, Zelensky adviser tells BBC

Image source, Naomi-Scherbel Ball/BBCImage caption, Serhii Beskrestnov said "people have already died" due to lack of warnings about incoming missile attacks.

• Publicado 19 de outubro de 2026, 19:23 BST.
• Why is Starlink internet so important on the battlefield in Ukraine?Published4 days ago.

Ukrainians have died because Kyiv is still not receiving reliable US warnings of incoming Russian attacks, according to a key adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov disse à BBC que vidas foram perdidas porque não havia tempo para avisar os cidadãos sobre ataques de mísseis balísticos, dizendo: "É perigoso.

I think it's really very bad... People [have] already died.

The adviser also said restrictions to Ukraine's use of the Starlink internet network were ongoing.

A Casa Branca disse que não houve mudanças no compartilhamento de inteligência com a Ucrânia.

Ukraine first reported an interruption to US intelligence sharing last week, as a row with the Trump administrations over its controversial deal to import Russian oil sent relations to new lows.

Apesar das negações de Washington, muitos em Kiev suspeitam que os problemas não são coincidência.

On Monday morning, Zelensky wrote on social media: "Overnight two ballistic missile attacks were reported on the capital, one without warning, the second with only minimal time to take shelter.

Horas antes, uma entrevista que o presidente fez com a NBC foi publicada, na qual ele disse que o compartilhamento de inteligência havia sido restabelecido após uma pausa de três dias.

We are very thankful for this," he said. "Only [the] United States has this unique intelligence to tell our side when Russia uses ballistic missiles.

But Beskrestnov told the BBC that American intelligence continued to be incomplete and inconsistent, and that the US had failed to provide a clear explanation for the issue.

This looks very strange," he said. "Sometimes we receive this information before the attack, another time we [do] not.

Ele continuou: E, por exemplo, ontem à noite recebemos, mas... um minuto antes do ataque.

However, he said other collaboration with US continues, adding: "Intelligence data keeps flowing, and the issue is solely with the air raid alert component.

Beskrestnov also said the US had given no clarity about who was responsible for the ongoing restrictions to the Starlink internet network and its military service Starshield, which Kyiv uses to provide connectivity for drones, helicopters and military communications.

Na semana passada, a Starshield restringiu a velocidade com que as unidades móveis podiam se mover enquanto permaneciam conectadas à rede a 100mph (160km/h).

This has limited Ukraine's ability to shoot down incoming drones or to launch mid-range drone attacks into Russian-occupied areas.

Starlink owner Elon Musk said last week that the US government ultimately controls access to Starshield, which was designed for the Pentagon, suggesting it may therefore be behind the restrictions.

Beskrestnov said he thought both issues occurring at the same time was "probably" a deliberate move to put pressure on Ukraine.

He told BBC News: "It's probably the United States trying to say [to] us, 'let's have the conversation, negotiation with Russia, you should find the compromise.

Beskrestnov também afirmou que a Ucrânia possuía seus próprios dados de radar para oferecer algum aviso limitado de ataques que se aproximavam, mas estava urgentemente buscando usar sistemas de comunicação alternativos.

He added: "Now we understand that something begins to happen with Starlink, and we're not sure what will be the next step.

We understand that we should be prepared for some problems in future. And now we're thinking about an alternative for Starlink, not only for air defence, for communication between our forces, between our staff, for civilians also, because we don't know what we should expect in future regarding Starlink.

Na segunda-feira, quando questionado sobre compartilhamento de inteligência, Trump disse: “We've given a lot to Ukraine. They've given us nothing.”.

Figure caption, Watch: Moment Ukrainian soldier lifted to safety by drone.

Mais cedo, o Secretário de Estado dos EUA Marco Rubio havia dito que não havia havido uma 'pausa' no compartilhamento de inteligência.

I don't know where [Zelensky is] getting these things or why he's saying these things to the press," he told reporters on Monday.

Rubio disse que não poderia comentar sobre o incidente, acrescentando: "Eu sei que há algumas noites atrás houve um problema de software envolvendo o seu sistema de alerta precoce.

The BBC has contacted Starlink for a response.

A White House official said there were no changes to intelligence sharing operations between the US and Ukraine.

The official spoke on background to discuss intelligence matters. Trump is focused on ending the war, the official said, and added that the US has provided more aid to Ukraine than any other country.

Os ataques russos continuaram no final da manhã de segunda-feira, com autoridades ucranianas dizendo que pelo menos seis pessoas foram mortas — incluindo uma criança pequena em seu carrinho e uma menina de 11 anos — em um ataque de drone perto de um café de parque na região nordeste de Kharkiv.

Zelensky described the attack in which another 14 people were injured as "absolute atrocity.

Inside the shadowy world of anti-Putin sabotage from within Russia.

Em números

• M que as unidades móveis podiam se mover enquanto permaneciam conectadas à rede a 100mph (160km/h)