Russian barrage leaves casualties mounting in Ukraine... Zelensky fumes: “No advance warning from the US again”

[Financial News] As casualties mounted after Russia launched a large-scale airstrike targeting energy facilities and urban centers across Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced open frustration, claiming that the United States, an ally, had once again failed to give advance warning of the attack.
According to foreign media outlets including The Guardian and The Kyiv Independent, Russian forces launched a widespread bombardment from the night of the 18th to the morning of the 19th, targeting 11 regions, including the capital, Kryvyi Rih, as well as Kharkiv and Odesa, with 16 ballistic missiles and around 200 Shahed drones. The attack killed at least one person and injured eight in Kryvyi Rih, and destroyed a 25-story residential building, a hospital, schools, subway stations and other sites. More than 10 energy facilities were also hit, cutting off electricity to at least 550,000 households. Russia’s Defense Ministry described it as “a large-scale attack targeting cruise missile storage facilities and data centers in Kyiv Oblast.”
Ukraine said that its intelligence-sharing system with the United States had failed to function properly during the airstrike, leaving the country exposed to attack while defenseless. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on the 19th, President Zelenskyy said, “There were several ballistic missile attacks overnight, but we received no advance warning from our partners.” From shortly after the war began, the United States had provided advance indications of ballistic missile launches to help people evacuate. But that day, Ukrainian civilians did not hear air-raid sirens until just before the first explosion. By contrast, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was visiting Uzbekistan, flatly rejected the claim, saying, “Information sharing has never been suspended,” and adding, “I don’t know where President Zelenskyy is getting that from.”
President Zelenskyy also sharply criticized the Trump administration’s recent moves to ease sanctions on Russia. He lamented, “Sanctions on Russia are being lifted and suspended, while supplies of (Patriot) missiles for Ukraine’s air defenses are being blocked,” adding, “Unfortunately, our partners are turning a blind eye to reality.” President Trump recently fully suspended the implementation of the Lindsey Graham Act, a sanctions measure against Russia, citing the goal of lowering oil prices. Compounding this is the issue of speed limits at the front lines for SpaceX’s “Starshield (Starlink),” a key military communications network for Ukraine’s armed forces. As the battlefield situation worsens, friction between the United States and Ukraine appears to be growing.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter