Air Raid Alert System Failure Leads to Casualties... U.S. and Ukraine Engage in Truth Dispute

As the intelligence-sharing system with the United States regarding Russian airstrikes fails to function properly, Ukrainian citizens are being exposed to Russian attacks without receiving advance warnings.

According to the local Ukrainian outlet The Kyiv Independent on the 19th (local time), a ballistic missile attack by Russia on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv overnight left at least 1 person dead and 8 others injured.

The attacks took place in three waves: around 11 p.m. the previous night, 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. local time in Kyiv.

Two subway stations were damaged in the attack.

A 25-story residential building and medical facilities were also damaged, resulting in a wave of injuries.

Energy facilities in 11 regions, including Kyiv Oblast, Kharkiv, and Odesa, were also targeted.

Regional authorities reported that more than 10 energy facilities were damaged and power supplies to at least 550,000 households were cut off.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated, "A large-scale attack was carried out targeting a cruise missile storage facility and a data center in Kyiv Oblast."

Recently, Ukrainian citizens have been exposed to Russian attacks without advance air raid warnings, which are typically issued minutes before an attack.

Ukraine explains that amidst recent strained relations with the United States, Washington has not been passing on information regarding Russian attacks to Ukraine.

While Ukrainian officials stated that the U.S. recently resumed intelligence sharing, advance air raid warnings still failed to function properly on this day.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media that day, "Once again, there were no advance warnings from our partners."

Citizens also reported that air raid sirens only went off right before the first explosions.

A senior Ukrainian official told The Kyiv Independent, "Warnings about the ballistic missile threat were delivered only after the attack had already occurred."

Regarding the analysis that intelligence-sharing systems could be delayed due to bad weather, the official dismissed it as lacking credibility, stating, "Such a thing has never happened before."

Contrary to Ukraine's claims that intelligence sharing is not functioning properly, the United States maintains that it has never restricted information sharing in the first place.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, "Intelligence sharing has never been suspended," adding, "I don't know where President Zelenskyy is hearing such things."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.