Science and Technology

Russia’s War in Ukraine

Understanding the conflict four years on.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the impact of Starlink limits on Ukraine’s defense, jail sentences for two leaders of India’s Cockroach movement, and Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer diagnosis.

Ukraine on Wednesday said that Elon Musk’s SpaceX had abruptly limited the country’s access to its military-grade Starlink internet services without warning, undermining the country’s security. The Wall Street Journal reported that the new limits “restrict the speed at which some of Ukraine’s weapons can travel and still connect to the internet.” It is unclear why the restrictions were imposed now or when they might be lifted. However, the timing is likely to be damaging for Kyiv, which is preparing for a brutal winter defined by Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the impact of Starlink limits on Ukraine’s defense, jail sentences for two leaders of India’s Cockroach movement, and Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer diagnosis.

Ukraine on Wednesday said that Elon Musk’s SpaceX had abruptly limited the country’s access to its military-grade Starlink internet services without warning, undermining the country’s security. The Wall Street Journal reported that the new limits “restrict the speed at which some of Ukraine’s weapons can travel and still connect to the internet.” It is unclear why the restrictions were imposed now or when they might be lifted. However, the timing is likely to be damaging for Kyiv, which is preparing for a brutal winter defined by Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Just two days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, SpaceX activated Starlink in Kyiv and shipped its first terminals to the country. Despite SpaceX periodically restricting Ukraine’s access to its services, Kyiv has since come to rely on Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink paid for by the U.S. Defense Department, to intercept Russian drone strikes and launch midrange attacks on Moscow.

According to senior Ukrainian officials and military personnel, signal failures early Wednesday disrupted several ongoing missions.........

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