Trump Betrayed Ukraine. We Will All Live with the Consequences.
Simon Whistler • October 16, 2026
Members only
Note: this transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or inconsistencies.
In the overnight hours on Tuesday and into Wednesday, 13-40 October 2026, 39 Russian ballistic missiles crashed down upon the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv and the surrounding Kyivoblast. All three of Kyiv's critical main power stations were damaged, along with critical infrastructure that supplies power to Kyiv and other cities nearby.
At least 11 people were killed nationwide last count, and 600,000 were left without power.
The strikes themselves, of course, were Russia's work, but they were made far worse by a country that's been supporting Ukraine for the last several years. According to Ukrainian military and civil officials, Kyiv received no warning from its international partners that the attack was inbound, a warning that would have usually come from the United States.
Watch with Fronts Insider
Fronts Insiders get every video, the complete archive, and private sponsor-free playback.
From $5/month · Cancel anytime
Already a member? Log in · Fix an access problem
Insiders Receive
- Every WarFronts, HomeFronts, and Insider video
- Complete sponsor-free video archive
- Support independent conflict journalism
About this briefing
Washington cut missile warnings and throttled Starshield hours before Russia hit Kyiv's power grid — a punishment Kyiv had already complied with, and one that leaves civilians exposed as winter sets in.