Live blog: Ukraine claims Russia used Musk's Starlink in battlefield

Sunday, February 11, 2024

0900 GMT — Ukraine's military intelligence has claimed that it had confirmed Russian forces were using Elon Musk's satellite internet company Starlink's terminals on the battlefield, releasing what it said was an intercept of a conversation between two Russian soldiers as proof.

It made the claim on the Telegram messaging app, where it posted a brief audio clip of the conversation.

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1747 GMT — Trump's remarks put allies at risk: NATO

The head of NATO has warned that Donald Trump was putting the safety of United States troops and their allies at risk after the Republican presidential front-runner said Russia should be able to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO members who don't meet their defence spending targets.

“Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

1619 GMT — US Senate faces new test on Ukraine aid bill

A narrowly divided United States Senate will try to move closer to passing a $95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan while hoping to show enough bipartisan support to propel the measure through Congress.

The money is viewed as crucial by Kiev as it grinds toward the second anniversary of a Russian offensive. Democratic President Joe Biden, who has been seeking the aid for months, on Friday said Congress would be guilty of "neglect" if it failed to pass the measure.

0824 GMT — Zelenskyy promotes ex-deputy to lead Ukraine's ground forces

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Oleksandr Pavliuk, former first deputy defence minister, as the new commander of Ukraine's ground forces, according to a decree published on Sunday.

Pavliuk, a lieutenant-general who served in the ministry role for a year, replaces Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi after he was tapped this week as commander of Ukraine's armed forces.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy announced five other senior military appointments, filling out a rebooted team to bolster Ukraine's defence against Russia's nearly two-year-old invasion.

Ukraine is experiencing a shortage of men and equipment as it heads into 2024 having made few battlefield gains throughout the past year. It also faces a disruption in military aid from the United States, its biggest backer.

0547 GMT — Russian drones target Kiev, southern Ukraine, injuring civilian

Russia launched drone attacks overnight on Kiev and southern Ukraine, injuring at least one civilian and damaging a gas pipeline and residential buildings in the river and seaport of Mykolaiv, Ukraine's military has said.

Ukraine's Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday that its air defence systems destroyed 40 out of 45 Russia-launched Shahed attack drones overnight.

"The air alert in the capital lasted almost two hours," Serhiy Popko, the head of Kiev's military administration, said on Telegram.

He added that over Kyiv all the drones were downed on their approach. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties nor destruction in or near the capital. Skies over Kiev were declared clear soon before 4 a.m. (0200 GMT).

Ukraine's southern military command said on Telegram that its air defence systems were engaged for more than five hours and destroyed 26 Russia-launched Shahed drones over several southern regions, chiefly over the Mykolaiv region near the Black Sea.

At least one civilian was injured in the southern Ukraine attack, the military said.

"The priority for the enemy was again the coastal strip of infrastructure and agro-industrial facilities," the military said.

For our live updates from Saturday, February 10, click here.