Photos show Ukraine’s air-defense link faltering on day of deadly Kharkiv strike
Deadly strike in Kharkiv
Spichak and four other people died in the strike, including a 1-year-old girl. Alina Spichak returned to the park with CBS News on Sunday and said the Russian Geran-4 jet-powered drone arrived too quickly for its victims to hear it.
Starlink connection drops
Photographs obtained by CBS News show Ukraine’s ground-based air defense radars’ Starlink connectivity at 0.1 megabytes per second on Oct. 19. A source familiar with the technology, who requested anonymity, said that rate would not be enough to load a webpage, much less operate air defense radars.
Ukrainian officials told CBS News that restrictions imposed without advance notice affected ground-based air defense radars and drone interceptors. They said the limits hindered the military’s ability to stop incoming Russian attacks.
Access restored, questions remain
Ukrainian officials confirmed on Saturday that Starlink access had been restored across the country. Elon Musk acknowledged that SpaceX had throttled connectivity.
Sister urges world to know
Alina Spichak said she understands that people have their own lives and may not want to look at the horrors. She added that she believes the world needs to know Ukraine is at war and under attack. “I really hope that it will end soon,” Alina Spichak said.
Key points
- Yulia Spichak and four others died in a Russian drone attack in a Kharkiv park on Oct. 19.
- Photographs show air defense radars’ Starlink connection fell to 0.1 megabytes per second that day.
- Ukrainian officials said unannounced restrictions affected radars and drone interceptors.
- Starlink access was restored nationwide, while officials reported problems with Starshield.