Russia hits Ukraine with over 850 Shahed drones during 'artificial' speed limit on defenses – Zelenskyy

The president stressed that emergency services continue to provide assistance in dozens of cities and municipalities, and repair crews and rescuers are working to clear up the fallout from Russian strikes.

"For practically all of yesterday and throughout last night, a massive Shahed attack was underway. The drones kept coming in waves, and there was not a single hour when our skies were clear of them," the Ukrainian leader said.

He said some of the drones were shot down, but there were also dozens of hits.

According to him, one of the largest attacks was against Kirovohrad Oblast, and there were also strikes in Kyiv city and oblast and in the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Rivne, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Poltava, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts. Three people were killed in the attack in Kropyvnytskyi. Three people were also killed in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Zelenskyy stressed that Russia deliberately escalated its strikes after receiving sanctions relief and seeing attempts to pressure Ukraine. Russia uses every such moment and must answer for what it is doing, the president added.

"Strong decisions are needed to end this war," Zelenskyy stated.

“Ukraine needs steady support, above all in defending our skies. We need HONESTY from our partners about this war: It is important that everyone in America stand not with the aggressor, but with our efforts to protect lives, end this war, and guarantee security.”

Russian forces attacked Kirovohrad Oblast with almost 360 drones overnight into Oct. 15. It was the largest Russian attack on the region since the start of the full-scale invasion, regional military governor Andriy Raykovych said.

The State Emergency Service reported earlier that Kirovohrad Oblast was under massive Russian drone attack for more than 10 hours. In Kropyvnytskyi, there were hits on the grounds of businesses, logistics centers, warehouses and residential buildings, and fires broke out.

In all, overnight Russia attacked Ukraine with two Kh-59 guided air-launched missiles and 580 attack drones. Air defenses neutralized 536 drones.

Starlink restrictions in Ukraine

Volunteer and former adviser to the defense minister Serhiy Sternenko was the first to report problems with Starlink, on the morning of Oct. 14. According to him, overnight SpaceX limited the operation of Ukrainian military terminals depending on drone speed, which "disrupted a number of important missions." Expert Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov confirmed the information and warned that the restrictions could prevent interceptor drones from shooting down jet-powered Shaheds.

The 7th Corps of the Air Assault Forces reported communication failures in the Huliaypole sector. The restrictions also affected Starshield, the military package that previously had no limits. A Defense Ministry source told NV that communication is limited at speeds above 160 kph (about 99 mph). This complicates Defense Forces logistics, the work of unmanned systems, and middle-strike operations.

Senior officials in Kyiv told the Financial Times that the restriction was introduced without warning in the middle of the night. Terminals began losing signal at speeds above 160 kph, and several military missions were disrupted in the early hours of Oct. 14. Zelenskyy appealed to Elon Musk and called the slowdown of Starlink "a big mistake."

SpaceX owner Musk said on Oct. 14 that speed limits for the Starshield military package depend not on his company but on the U.S. government. He was responding to a post on X by former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

The communication problems coincided with pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Kyiv over strikes on Russian oil refineries. According to media reports, Washington threatened to stop sharing intelligence.