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, MON., OCT. 19, 2026No. 15 · Morning, 6:00 a.m. EEST6 a.m. EEST
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Politics · US and Starlink✓ 6 outlets · who exactly ordered the speed cut is not confirmed

Zelensky: Starlink restrictions on the military are still in force, Bessent calls such statements irresponsible

In an NBC News interview the president also said the US had resumed intelligence sharing, and called official US support for Russia a historic mistake.

In an interview with NBC News on “Meet the Press,” published on Sunday, Oct. 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that restrictions on Starlink for Ukrainian forces are still in force. According to him, it was “a message from the American government” meant to limit the flight speed of Ukrainian drones, as NPR and Axios report. Zelensky added that connection speed has not been fully restored. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responded by warning Zelensky to be “very careful” with statements that, in his words, do not correspond to reality (CNBC). As Censor.NET and UNN reported, Bessent called such words irresponsible and said that neither President Donald Trump nor Secretary of State Marco Rubio had given instructions to slow satellite communications; about the causes of the network disruptions, he said, he knows nothing. Earlier, on Oct. 16, Reuters reported, citing sources, that the order to restrict Starshield for Ukraine came from inside the White House; CNBC and Forbes also wrote about this. Elon Musk, according to CNN, said that these systems are controlled by the US government.

In the same conversation Zelensky said that the US had resumed intelligence sharing with Ukraine, including on Russian ballistic missiles, which had been suspended for several days (LB.ua, Yevropeiska Pravda). As Yahoo News relays it, he thanked Washington for unblocking the exchange. Zelensky also told NBC News that it would be a historic mistake if the United States officially sided with Russia, and that he still wants to trust Trump and hopes his decisions will change (Inquirer, The Hill). On Saturday Rubio described the sanctions exception for Russia as a 60-day pause to analyze the impact on the global economy, and Zelensky called that exception one more form of support for Russian aggression (Inquirer, tag24). Forbes notes that on the previous day Trump had sharply criticized the Ukrainian president.

Open the story and DailyDrop’s take
By the numbers
60days of pause to analyze the sanctions exception, according to Rubio
Oct. 16date of the Reuters report on the Starshield order
Oct. 18date of Zelensky’s interview with NBC News
Word of the day
StarshieldTechnology

The military version of SpaceX’s satellite communications, also used in Ukraine.

War · Overnight attack✓ 4 outlets · final toll of the injured being clarified

Russia hits Ukraine with an Iskander-M and 180 drones, hits recorded at 20 locations

Overnight into Oct. 18 Russia attacked Ukraine with an Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from the Voronezh region and 180 strike drones, the Air Force reported (LB.ua, Censor.NET, Ukrainska Pravda). As of 08:00, 152 drones had been shot down or suppressed, hits were recorded at 20 locations, and debris fell in four more places. Among the drones were 26 jet-powered Shaheds, as well as S-8000s, Gerberas and decoys; launches came, among others, from the directions of Oryol, Bryansk, Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk (LB.ua, Censor.NET). In the morning the Russians struck the Osnovianskyi district of Kharkiv twice: local authorities reported damage to two apartment buildings, power lines and two filling stations, and the police reported damage to railway infrastructure (Suspilne Kharkiv). Rivne and its surroundings suffered a massive strike; the State Emergency Service put out the fires, and there were no casualties (NV, Suspilne Rivne); in the evening a new attack hit a manufacturing plant, which stopped work (24 Channel). In Odesa a drone hit the roof of a multistory building; two people were injured, among them a 13-year-old girl, Ukrainian outlets reported.

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By the numbers
180strike drones and one ballistic missile, according to the Air Force
152drones shot down or suppressed as of 08:00
20locations where hits were recorded
Security · Baltics✓ 4 outlets · origin of the drone not confirmed

Lithuania and Latvia sounded alerts over an unidentified drone, debris that damaged a car found in Lithuania

On the morning of Oct. 18 an air-raid alert sounded in Lithuania and lasted about an hour, while in Latvia an alert was declared in the municipalities of Bauska, Aizkraukle and Ogre, toward which an unidentified object was reportedly moving (Ukrinform, h.ua). According to Reuters, two Italian Eurofighter jets were scrambled to patrol. In the village of Yuodzhonis in the Pasvalys district, debris was found that, according to LRT, damaged a car door; the driver was not hurt (Ukrinform, Ukrainska Pravda). Residents sent about 50 reports of an object falling, and the area where the debris lay was cordoned off (Ukrinform).

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said that the incident was probably caused by Russian electronic warfare (Ukrainska Pravda). ZN.ua reported that the debris probably belongs to a Ukrainian drone, while life.kyiv.ua and RBC-Ukraine said the aircraft could have strayed in from Poland. Kurs.com.ua writes that Ukraine apologized after NATO fighters were scrambled. Romanian F-16 fighters the day before, on Oct. 17, shot down two jet-powered drones over the Black Sea, the outlets reported, citing Romania’s defense ministry.

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By the numbers
~1 hrthe air-raid alert lasted in Lithuania
2Italian Eurofighters scrambled, according to Reuters
50reports from residents of an object falling
World · France✓ 4 outlets · final number of detained differs between sources

More than a thousand people detained in France after nationwide protests, authorities speak of arson and looting

On Saturday, Oct. 17, large-scale protests swept across France which, according to CNN, were accompanied by clashes with police in Paris. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, as CBC reported, cited about 1,200 detained and more than 150 injured police officers. France 24 reported on Sunday 1,800 detained, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, and damage to about 1,500 businesses, with losses in the hundreds of millions of euros. Some participants set fire to a tourist office and looted shops, and a historic town hall was burned (France 24). In Saint-Étienne a young protester lost a hand; Nuñez announced an investigation.

President Emmanuel Macron promised to bring those responsible for the violence to justice, and the cost of living and conditions in schools are named in reports as the causes of the protests (France 24, CNN). Donald Trump linked the protests to migration and urged Paris to close its borders, while Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, against the backdrop of events, spoke in favor of a tough migration policy (Yevropeiska Pravda, Ukrainska Pravda).

Open the story and DailyDrop’s take
By the numbers
1200detained according to Prime Minister Lecornu (CBC)
1800detained according to Nuñez (France 24)
1500businesses damaged according to France 24
Politics · Elections and diplomacy✓ 5 outlets · timing of possible elections not named

After talks with Witkoff and Kushner, Zelensky says he would run if elections are held during the war

On Oct. 18 Zelensky said he had held a conversation with Donald Trump’s special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The topics, according to LB.ua, UNIAN and Ukrainska Pravda, were the outcome of the meeting between Ukrainian and American teams in Florida, air defense and next diplomatic steps. The president added that the Ukrainian and American teams are in almost constant contact (LB.ua, Espreso).

In the same NBC News interview Zelensky said he considers it his duty to run for a second term if elections are held during the war (LB.ua, Ukrainska Pravda, RBC-Ukraine, Espreso). According to him, preparation would require at least 60 days of ceasefire without additional negotiations, in order to change legislation and build the necessary infrastructure; after the war ends, the country would need about six months (Obozrevatel, NVIP). NVIP notes that Moscow has previously rejected the condition of a ceasefire. Separately, in his evening address Zelensky said that since the start of autumn the Defense Forces have liberated more territory than Russia managed to seize, and denied Putin’s claim that Dobropillia had been taken (Ukrainska Pravda, UNIAN).

Open the story and DailyDrop’s take
In brief
  • RomaniaRomanian F-16s shot down two jet-powered strike drones over the Black Sea on Oct. 17; the defense ministry called them “Gerans” (Ukrainska Pravda, Yevropeiska Pravda).
  • MagyarHungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar sees no obstacles to transit of Ukrainian grain, as long as the cargo only passes through the country (Ukrainska Pravda, LB.ua, 24 Channel).
  • SybihaForeign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged Europe to restrict visas for Russians as far as possible (Yevropeiska Pravda, RBC-Ukraine).
  • LithuaniaAn attempted arson of a company storing Starlink equipment was foiled in Lithuania; Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius suspects Russia (Ukrainska Pravda, LRT).
  • DobropilliaZelensky said Dobropillia is under Ukrainian control, with fighting continuing (Ukrainska Pravda, UNIAN).
  • TrumpDonald Trump linked the protests in France to migration and urged that borders be closed (Yevropeiska Pravda, Ukrainska Pravda).
Seven minutes every morning, one front page

Unverified — what we could not confirm

The US has officially switched to Russia’s side in the war. Zelensky says only that this would be a historic mistake, and that he still wants to trust Trump (Inquirer, The Hill). There is no confirmation of such a decision in the reports.
The White House ordered the Starlink restrictions for Ukraine. Reuters, citing sources, writes that the order came from inside the White House (CNBC), while Bessent and Rubio, as relayed, deny giving any instructions. This is not officially confirmed.
The drone in Lithuania was Russian. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry links the incident to Russian electronic warfare, ZN.ua writes of a probably Ukrainian drone, and other outlets allow for a flight from Poland. The origin has not been established.
Glossary · dotted words — economics, law, security and science terms explained in the context of the story. The list grows every day.
INSIDEZelensky: Starlink restrictions on the military are still in force, Bessent calls such statements irresponsiblePolitics · US and StarlinkRussia hits Ukraine with an Iskander-M and 180 drones, hits recorded at 20 locationsWar · Overnight attackLithuania and Latvia sounded alerts over an unidentified drone, debris that damaged a car found in LithuaniaSecurity · BalticsMore than a thousand people detained in France after nationwide protests, authorities speak of arson and lootingWorld · FranceAfter talks with Witkoff and Kushner, Zelensky says he would run if elections are held during the warPolitics · Elections and diplomacy