Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv disputes Musk’s Starlink claims as Zelensky says peace talks to resume

Russian attacks hit Ukraine’s Sumy region, leaving one injured and damaging civilian infrastructure.mp4A Ukrainian official has contested Elon Musk’s claims that its military violated the terms of use for Starlink’s communications system, leading to restrictions on Kyiv's access to high-speed satellite technology.Having previously blamed the decision to throttle Kyiv's Starlink access on the White House, Musk said on Saturday that the Ukrainian military used Starlink “for offensive drone strikes to kill people”, in contravention to the terms of use.Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky, rejected that claim, arguing the restrictions would have made it “physically impossible” for Ukraine to use Starlink in the types of strikes he described.“It is very strange that Elon Musk is unaware of the operational limitations of Starlink in Ukraine,” he said noting, that Starlink’s civilian system in Ukraine “does not function over the territory of Russia”.Ukraine said over the weekend that its access to high-speed services via Starlink and Starshield satellite communications had been restored.Meanwhile, Zelensky has said there will be a three-way meeting involving US, Ukrainian and Russian officials in November.In a post on X, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for talks between technical groups, while also renewing his push for talks at a leadership level. Six people injured in Russian strikes on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia and ChernihivA Russian strike on ⁠Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia ⁠overnight ​injured ⁠four people, regional ⁠governor ​Mykhailo ⁠Semikin said ‌on Telegram on ‌Monday.File: Police officers evacuate a resident from the frontline rural settlement Komyshuvakha, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine 19 October 2026 (Reuters)Another two ‌were injured ⁠in Russian strikes on the Chernihiv region, Ukraine's emergency ‌service ​said ‌on Telegram. Namita Singh26 October 2026 05:31Russian forces hit cargo vessel, Ukrainian port infrastructure in Black sea, RIA reportsThe Russian defence ministry says its forces have hit ⁠a ​cargo ⁠vessel bound for the Ukrainian ⁠port of ​Odesa, ⁠state news ‌agency RIA reported on Monday.The ‌ministry said ‌it was transporting ⁠cargo for the Ukrainian military, without providing evidence.Russian forces also hit infrastructure at three ‌berthing terminals in ​the ‌port ⁠of Chornomorsk, ⁠the ministry said. Namita Singh26 October 2026 05:28Zelensky announces trilateral meeting with Russia and USUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says there will be a trilateral meeting between officials from the US, Ukraine, and Russia in November.The Ukrainian leader has long argued Vladimir Putin is the only person in ‌Russia who can make major decisions ​to end the war or meaningfully discuss ‌core issues, such ⁠as the fate of the nearly 20 per cent ⁠of Ukraine that Russia occupies."The issue of territories is ‌a red ​line that can be discussed ‌exclusively at the level ​of leaders," Zelensky said. Namita Singh26 October 2026 05:00Zelensky says US fully resumes warnings on ballistic strikesUkrainian president ​Volodymyr Zelensky said US warnings about imminent Russian ballistic missile strikes, critical to Ukraine's air defences, had been fully restored after recent issues.Speaking to Ukraine's TSN television channel, he ⁠said SpaceX's Starshield satellite internet had been working at speeds of up to 420 kilometres per hour since early on Saturday morning, after it had been throttled earlier in October amid diplomatic pressure on Kyiv from ⁠Washington.Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky answers media questions before his meeting with Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo in Kyiv, Ukraine, (AP)Zelensky said he discussed both issues ​in ⁠a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo, casting the changes as results of that meeting.The US ⁠has pressed Ukraine to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries, ​which ⁠it argues added to high ‌energy prices, a sensitive issue for the Trump administration amid its war on Iran and US midterm elections next month.Zelensky said ‌that in order for Kyiv to halt ‌the strikes, Moscow must stop hitting Ukraine's power infrastructure, or the US should allow the use of Starshield over Russia to detect launch places of its ballistic ⁠missiles, or supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles. Namita Singh26 October 2026 04:00Editorial: Now more than ever, all of Europe needs to step up in support of UkraineAfter Donald Trump unilaterally declared an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine two weeks ago, Volodymyr Zelensky accepted it, even though it had come as news to him.Ukrainian forces ceased their attacks on Russian refineries for a day or two, but as Vladimir Putin’s missiles and drones kept coming, the Ukrainians resumed their strikes.It seems that President Trump had made up the ceasefire. “It was entirely in his head, which is where so many of his great diplomatic triumphs appear to occur,” as Sir Lawrence Freedman, the distinguished military analyst, observed.Read more:Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 October 2026 03:00We cannot fight until the last Ukrainian – it’s time to call Putin’s bluffUkraine has proved this. And the suffering being endured across the country as the Trump administration has sabotaged Kyiv’s weapons systems shows how far Vladimir Putin will go to achieve his ends – a nihilistic fetish for chaos among his rivals.Sam Kiley reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 October 2026 01:30Watch: Six injured after Russian drone strikes apartment block in central UkraineSix injured after Russian drone strikes apartment block in central UkraineMaryam Zakir-Hussain26 October 2026 00:30Watch: British and French paratroopers in largest airborne drill for decades amid Russia fears .mp4British and French paratroopers in largest airborne drill for decades amid Russia fears .mp4Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2026 23:30Four killed in two drone attacks in Russia's Belgorod regionA Ukrainian drone attack overnight on the Russian border city of Belgorod ⁠killed three people and injured 13, local authorities said on Sunday, while a separate drone strike later in the ⁠day killed ​another person ⁠and wounded one other in a nearby village."Unfortunately, the death toll from last night's attack (in the city of Belgorod) has risen after another man who had been injured has died in hospital. This is a great tragedy for all the city's residents," Belgorod's mayor, Valentin Demidov, wrote on state-backed messaging app MAX.The overnight attack on Belgorod damaged 30 apartment buildings, 35 cars, four houses, three administrative buildings, eight commercial premises and three social facilities, regional governor Alexander Shuvayev said.In a separate incident on Sunday morning, one person was killed and another injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a car in the village of Voznesenovka near the town of Shebekino, local authorities said.Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2026 22:30Ukraine strike on industrial zone kills security guard in Russia's LipetskA Ukrainian missile strike on an industrial zone in the city of Yelets in Russia's southwestern Lipetsk region killed a security guard and injured a paramedic, regional governor Igor Artamonov said on Sunday.Artamonov ​said ⁠the security ‌guard worked at one of the industrial facilities ‌located on the ‌site. The paramedic at the medical centre ⁠was taken to hospital, where she was receiving the necessary treatment, the governor said.The governor did not identify the facility that was hit in the strike.Reuters ⁠could not independently ⁠verify the report. There ‌was no ​immediate comment ‌from Ukraine.Maryam Zakir-Hussain25 October 2026 21:30