600,000 lose power in Ukraine

News · Heat 2.4 / 10 · 11 shows · 1h 17m airtime

Russian missile and drone strikes hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv on October 13 and 14, 2026, cutting power to 600,000 people and killing at least six. Ukraine says it had no advance warning of the ballistic missiles and that Starlink was restricted overnight, disrupting drone missions and air defense. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk personally authorized the slowdown after a call with Trump; Musk blamed the US military and ultimately Trump, Trump denied the White House was behind it, and Rubio called missed detections a technical matter. Zelensky says early warning is restored and Starshield would run at full speed within days, but Ukraine's defence ministry says limits persist despite Trump's claim that access was restored.

How 11 podcasts covered it

1. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-14 (1:48 to 6:06)
   Reports from the strike and works the warning angle
   Reports from the scene of an apartment block hit with little warning, then works the intelligence angle: no advance warning from partners, restricted Starlink, and Trump denying a halt to sharing.
   New angle: Ukraine received no advance warning of the ballistic missiles from its partners, and Starlink was restricted overnight.
2. The Bulwark Daily, 2026-10-14 (3:11 to 5:10)
   Reports Starlink limits drawing Poland's attack
   Reports that Musk has imposed Starlink restrictions that hamper Ukraine's defense, disrupting drone missions and drawing an attack from Poland's leader, and ties it to Musk's midterm spending for Trump.
   New angle: Poland's leader is attacking Musk over the Starlink restrictions, which have disrupted Ukrainian drone missions.
3. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-15 (2:44 to 6:27)
   Adds Zelensky's betrayal remarks to Piers Morgan
   Zelensky tells Piers Morgan he feels betrayed by Trump, and Musk says the Starlink restriction was a Department of Defense decision; Ukraine's former defence minister says access was partially restored Wednesday evening.
   New angle: Musk says the Starlink restriction was a Department of Defense decision, and Fedorov says access was partially restored Wednesday evening.
4. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-15 (6:27 to 9:23)
   Adds Musk's account of the Pentagon call
   Adds the Pentagon layer to the Starlink story: Musk now says the US military and ultimately Trump made the call, and Wells separates Starlink from Starshield while noting Ukrainian officials were told their missile-detection systems failed due to bad weather.
   New angle: Musk says the US military and ultimately Trump decided the Starlink restriction.
5. Start Here, 2026-10-15 (16:52 to 20:43)
   Adds the throttling behind the Starlink restriction
   Adds the mechanism behind the Starlink restriction: satellite speeds were throttled without notice, which grounded interceptor drones, and an ex-defense minister says speeds came back only partially.
   New angle: An ex-defense minister says Starlink speeds were lifted back up but not to previous levels.
6. Start Here, 2026-10-15 (20:43 to 23:04)
   Folds Starlink into the wider intelligence picture
   Pannell's report folds the Starlink decision into the wider intelligence picture: Musk again points at the Pentagon and the president, and Ukraine says partner intelligence sharing has dropped. It retells the week's Starlink thread and adds the overnight missile count.
7. Up First, 2026-10-15 (5:57 to 9:53)
   Pins down the 100 mph cutoff mechanism
   Ukraine's defense ministry says the Starshield network is back to normal, and the segment pins down the mechanism: drone-operator links cut automatically above 100 mph. Musk repeats that the US military and the president control it; the White House and Pentagon stay silent.
   New angle: Ukraine's defense ministry says Starshield is back to normal; links cut automatically above 100 mph.
8. The Headlines, 2026-10-15 (1:45 to 3:02)
   Adds the Pentagon's silence on Starshield
   Adds the Pentagon's silence to the Starshield record: the Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment, leaving Musk's claim that the US military and the president set the limits unanswered.
   New angle: The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment on the Starshield restrictions.
9. Morning Brew Daily, 2026-10-15 (7:10 to 11:12)
   Opens the Starlink throttling story
   Opens the Starlink throttling story: Ukraine's drone operators say connectivity dropped above 100 mph, Russia fired its largest salvo of the war during the restrictions, and Musk says the Pentagon and the President decide the limits.
   New angle: Ukraine's drone connectivity dropped for anything traveling faster than 100 miles per hour.
10. Pivot, 2026-10-16 (9:25 to 12:51)
    Debates Musk's denial of a Starshield cutoff
    Kara and Scott debate Musk's denial that he limited Ukraine's Starshield access, weighing whether Trump ordered the cutoff and noting Zelensky's pushback in the Financial Times.
    New angle: Ukraine lost Starshield access this week, disrupting drone attacks and air defense; service has reportedly been restored.
11. Up First, 2026-10-17 (6:20 to 12:42)
    Adds Musk's new war-future role
    Farrow walks through the Starlink restriction as the latest case of one man becoming infrastructure, then adds a new development: Musk has been appointed to co-lead Project Meridian, a government initiative assessing the future of warfare, while his companies hold federal contracts.
    New angle: Musk was appointed to co-lead Project Meridian, a government initiative assessing the future of warfare.
12. The Daily, 2026-10-19 (15:16 to 18:15)
    Adds Zelensky's claim of a Washington message
    Walks through the Starshield throttling dispute: the Pentagon contract, Ukraine's accusation against SpaceX, Musk's claim of US government control. Adds Zelensky's NBC interview calling the restrictions a message from Washington and Trump's denial that the White House or Musk was behind it.
    New angle: Zelensky told NBC the Starshield throttling was a message from the US government; Trump denied the White House was behind it.
13. The Daily, 2026-10-19 (18:15 to 20:44)
    Explains US satellite warnings for missile alerts
    Méheut explains how US satellite intelligence supplies Ukraine's ballistic missile warnings and recounts hearing an alert with barely seconds before impact. Retells the two occasions without warning and the administration's denial, both already on the record.
14. The Daily Show: Ears Edition, 2026-10-20 (18:32 to 22:09)
    Stages a mock call over Ukraine's Starlink cutoff
    Pivots off the diesel deal to Ukraine's report that Starlink access was suddenly restricted, then stages a mock customer service call with Starlink and with Trump, who denies ordering any slowdown and blames Ukraine's end.
    New angle: Ukraine said Starlink access was suddenly restricted; a Ukrainian official blamed SpaceX and the United States.
15. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-20 (22:26 to 27:06)
    Adds Rubio's denial and a death claim
    Carries the first on-record Ukrainian claim that people have died from thin missile warning, plus Rubio's denial that any directive caused the missed detections on the 13th and 18th. Also adds Beskresnov's account of how the Starlink limits cut a jet-interceptor radio channel.
    New angle: Rubio says the missed 13th and 18th detections were a technical matter, not a US directive; Beskresnov says people have already died.
16. The Bulwark Daily, 2026-10-20 (13:33 to 16:52)
    Recaps the week's Starlink and intelligence story
    Recaps the week's Starlink and intelligence story through McFaul's reaction: Trump says Russia has not done much, Rubio tells Breitbart the president dislikes civilian deaths, and McFaul says he has never heard Trump criticize Putin. Stays inside the existing record.
17. The Bulwark Daily, 2026-10-20 (19:36 to 22:55)
    Explains Zelensky's push on intelligence sharing
    McFaul explains Zelensky's push to restore intelligence sharing: a virtual meeting with US senators on Monday, a new chief of staff and government, and the loss of his 2022 inner circle to corruption scandals. Frames it as Ukrainian frustration with Trump rather than new reporting.
    New angle: Zelensky met virtually with US senators on Monday to pressure Trump to restore intelligence sharing.
18. The Journal., 2026-10-20 (0:06 to 3:37)
    Reports the Journal's Starlink slowdown order
    Reports that Zelensky learned mid-journey that Kyiv was hit without the usual U.S. warning and that military Starlink terminals had slowed, and that the Journal tied the slowdown to an order from Musk. Frames both as signs to Zelensky that Washington was turning away.
    New angle: The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of Ukrainian military Starlink terminals.
19. The Journal., 2026-10-20 (17:30 to 19:28)
    Adds the Musk-Trump call and sanctions order
    Returns to the Starlink slowdown and the intelligence-warning gaps, then adds two on-the-record details: Musk and Trump discussed the Starlink decision by phone soon after it became public, and Trump signed an executive order easing sanctions on buyers of Russian oil.
    New angle: Two people said Musk and Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public.
20. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-21 (2:26 to 7:35)
    Reports early warning restored and Starshield timing
    Reports the resolution of the intelligence fight: after talks with Witkoff in Oslo, Zelensky says US early warning is back on and Starshield will run at full speed within days. Adds that no Patriot promises were made and that Ukrainians remain doubtful of Washington.
    New angle: Zelensky says US early warning is restored and Starshield will run at full speed within days, with no Patriot promises.
21. What Next, 2026-10-21 (18:03 to 20:32)
    Reads the outage through Kyiv's politics
    Recaps the Starshield outage and restoration, then reads it through Kyiv's politics: the fired defense minister Fedorov was the Silicon Valley conduit, and Musk publicly backed him. Stays inside the week's Starlink coverage.
22. What Next, 2026-10-21 (25:26 to 26:53)
    Adds the Journal's follow-up on Musk's authorization
    Adds the Journal's follow-up on the Starlink slowdown: Musk personally authorized it, and did so after a phone call with Trump. Notes it is unclear whether Musk acted unilaterally, then moves to an interview and ad reads.
    New angle: The Journal reported Musk personally authorized the Starlink slowdown after a phone call with Trump.
23. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-23 (21:57 to 26:12)
    Reports Kyiv's denial of restored Starshield
    Reports from Kyiv that Ukraine's defence ministry contradicts Trump's claim that Musk restored Starshield, saying the roughly 100 mph cap persists and interceptor drones still go offline. It also records Trump's own account that a call was made and Musk lifted the restriction, without saying who called.
    New angle: Ukraine's defence ministry says Starshield limits persist despite Trump's claim that Musk restored access.