Three days of silence ended in London. Volodymyr Zelenskyy used a Financial Times interview to announce that Ukraine would resume strikes on Russian oil refineries, and the message was aimed as much at Washington as was at Moscow.

The ban on refinery strikes is lifted, Zelenskyy declared. “Enough,” he added, in a statement that amounted to an open rejection of the White House moratorium. The timing is notable. Until the trip to London, Kyiv had avoided a direct confrontation with Donald Trump. Only after arriving in the British capital, where political backing for Ukraine remains strongest, did the tone harden. The episode points to a widening split inside the Western bloc. Over the coming month, tension may grow between those pushing for a settlement and those committed to continuing the war.

While politics heats up, the strikes on Ukraine’s rear continue without pause.

Overnight on October 16, Russian drones hit the western regions in a massive attack. In Lutsk, an energy facility was struck, leaving parts of the city without power and halting electric transport. As the blackout spread, residents began stocking water. In Khmelnytskyi, an oil depot was attacked. Kovel reported interruptions to both water and electricity, while in Ternopil a foreign-owned enterprise was hit.

The situation in the capital is worse. According to the Ukrainian outlet Ekonomichna Pravda, three Kyiv thermal power plants – TEC-5, TEC-6, and the Darnytsia plant – have stopped generating electricity. Those facilities provided the bulk of the capital’s power. Media reports say 600,000 people have already left Kyiv, a city that had nearly three million residents before the conflict.

Meanwhile, a technological shift is emerging on the battlefield. Russian forces have begun using Molniya drones fitted with satellite antennas, bearing a logo strikingly similar to that of Bureau 1440. That company develops Rassvet, a Russian low-orbit satellite network widely seen as a counterpart to Elon Musk’s Starlink. Such a network offers jam-resistant control for mid-range strike drones operating 100 to 150 kilometers from the front line. Satellite guidance is also expected to improve the accuracy of long-range Geran drones. If Russia can quickly scale up terminal production, the consequences could be dramatic. Ukraine’s rear could come to resemble the land corridor to Crimea, where roads are effectively blocked by constantly loitering drones.

Kyiv has lifted its own ban on refinery strikes just as its capital loses the ability to keep itself warm and lit. Russia, meanwhile, is building a satellite-guided drone fleet that no foreign company can switch off. Defiance in London is easy to announce. Defiance in a city without power, with roughly one in five residents gone, is far harder to sustain.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DEAR FRIENDS. IF YOU LIKE THIS TYPE OF CONTENT, SUPPORT SOUTHFRONT WORK:

MONERO (XMR): 86yfEHs6pkoDEKCxc6MAnQX8cVHmzhYxMVrNuwKgNmqpWK8dDxjgGnK8PtUNJMACbn6xEGxmRauNTHJhUJpg9Mwz8htBBND

BITCOIN (BTC): bc1qgu58lfszcpqu6fd8l98m378wgzugyg9y93lcym

BITCOIN CASH (BCH): qr28d80s5juzv2793k5jrq59xrl5fxd8qg9h3zlkk2

PAYPAL, WESTERN UNION etc: write to info@southfront.press , southfront@list.ru

If you face any problems sending funds to the addresses given above, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru. Also be aware that many email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo etc. may block correspondence from info@southfront.press and some others put it in spam.

If you want to support SouthFront but have no opportunity to do it via cryptocurrency, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru.

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

The post “Enough” In London, Darkness In Kyiv — Zelenskyy’s Defiance Meets Reality appeared first on South Front.

Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) tightened their offensive around Taiz over the past week, as they escalated their strikes on Saudi Arabia.

On October 8, the Houthis claimed missile attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Saudi aviation authorities said three Saudi citizens were killed, and an aircraft was damaged. The attacks disrupted international flights and prompted a response from the Saudi-led coalition. Explosions were also reported in Sanaa the following day, with Houthi media reporting six people wounded.

The attacks escalated on October 10, when a missile struck Riyadh airport, killing 12 people and injuring more than 300. Another projectile hit a passenger terminal on October 11, killing a Pakistani national and wounding 11. The repeated strikes severely disrupted air travel and exposed vulnerabilities in Saudi Arabia’s air defenses.

On the ground, Houthi forces reported capturing al-Misrakh district and positions in Jabal Habashi in Taiz on October 11. The following day, Houthi media showed operations around the Birin Triangle and Yafrus junction. The advances formed part of a wider push to encircle Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, after the Houthis captured Turbah earlier in the month.

Also on October 12, Houthi military media released footage from al-Faliha in Marib showing artillery and missile strikes against Saudi-backed troops, with several military vehicles burning. The group said its forces had repelled a government offensive.

On October 13, the Saudi-led coalition struck fuel facilities in Sanaa and storage infrastructure around Ras Isa and elsewhere in Hodeidah and Dhamar, saying the sites supported Houthi missile and drone operations. Hours later, a Houthi ballistic missile struck the Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran, causing a fire. Saudi authorities reported no casualties.

Houthi media also reported clearing al-Sharjan, al-Ka’ala, Harazu and al-Khabakhib in western Lahij, potentially putting additional pressure on Saudi-backed forces near Bab al-Mandab.

On October 14, the group released footage it said showed fighters driving Saudi-backed troops from Dhubab Airport in Taiz, capturing personnel and seizing military vehicles. Houthi forces also reported capturing al-Hangar checkpoint and clearing positions in Anbian and Wateer, further tightening pressure around Taiz.

The very next day, October 15, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that a surface-to-air missile had directly hit a Saudi Eurofighter Typhoon over Saada province in northern Yemen.

All in all, the Houthis have escalated on all fronts in recent weeks, tightening their siege of Taiz, pushing Saudi-backed forces away from Bab al-Mandab, and stepping up strikes on Saudi Arabia. The kingdom and its allies are yet to respond in any meaningful way in the face of this escalation, and despite their repeated military failures, they are yet to seek a real diplomatic solution.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DEAR FRIENDS. IF YOU LIKE THIS TYPE OF CONTENT, SUPPORT SOUTHFRONT WORK:

MONERO (XMR): 86yfEHs6pkoDEKCxc6MAnQX8cVHmzhYxMVrNuwKgNmqpWK8dDxjgGnK8PtUNJMACbn6xEGxmRauNTHJhUJpg9Mwz8htBBND

BITCOIN (BTC): bc1qgu58lfszcpqu6fd8l98m378wgzugyg9y93lcym

BITCOIN CASH (BCH): qr28d80s5juzv2793k5jrq59xrl5fxd8qg9h3zlkk2

PAYPAL, WESTERN UNION etc: write to info@southfront.press , southfront@list.ru

If you face any problems sending funds to the addresses given above, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru. Also be aware that many email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo etc. may block correspondence from info@southfront.press and some others put it in spam.

If you want to support SouthFront but have no opportunity to do it via cryptocurrency, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru.

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

The post Houthis Escalate On All Fronts appeared first on South Front.

Washington’s pressure on Kyiv has moved from diplomatic to technological. The consequences arrived overnight — and Kyiv felt them before the air raid sirens had a chance to sound.

Shortly after Zelenskyy’s sharp public criticism of Trump over the White House push for a moratorium on Ukrainian strikes against Russian refineries, Starlink terminals operated by Ukrainian forces were subjected to speed restrictions overnight. Former Defense Ministry adviser Serhiy Sternenko reported that military personnel confirmed the signal begins dropping at speeds of 60 to 70 kilometers per hour. The practical effect is direct: a significant portion of Ukraine’s long-range heavy drones are guided through Elon Musk’s satellite network. Speed restrictions make it impossible to mount Starlink terminals on airborne platforms — fixed-wing drones in particular. Ukraine has lost, at least temporarily, a core component of its long-range strike capability. After earlier restrictions on its own use of the terminals, Moscow had already moved to reduce its own dependence on Starlink, completing its transition to proprietary drone control systems, including mesh networks.

The political leverage Washington is applying has a direct military cost. That cost was visible within hours.

Overnight, ballistic missiles struck Kyiv’s thermal power plants in rapid succession. Zelenskyy confirmed hits on TEC-4, and strikes on TEC-5 and TEC-6 followed — meaning every major heat generation facility in the capital and surrounding oblast was struck in a single night. The Trypilska and Kyivska power stations were also hit. Power went out across several city districts. Public transport was disrupted. Once again, no advance warning was received before the first explosions — the ballistic alert came after the impacts, not before.

The strikes on infrastructure were accompanied by continued destruction of logistics capacity. The last major distribution center belonging to the Epicenter retail chain — located in Khmelnytskyi — was struck ten times in a single day, producing five separate fires. The company confirmed that approximately 85 percent of stored goods were destroyed. “The enemy achieved its goal,” the official statement read. Two previous Epicenter logistics complexes in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast had already been eliminated. This was the last one standing. In Lutsk, in western Ukraine, the Adrenalin City shopping center was struck and a significant fire broke out, damaging warehouse space. The full scale of losses there is still being assessed.

Every heat source in Kyiv struck in one night. The last major retail distribution network was eliminated. Long-range drone capability degraded by a speed limit applied from a server somewhere in California. Ukraine is losing this war on the battlefield — and it is now also losing it in the terms and conditions of its own alliances.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DEAR FRIENDS. IF YOU LIKE THIS TYPE OF CONTENT, SUPPORT SOUTHFRONT WORK:

MONERO (XMR): 86yfEHs6pkoDEKCxc6MAnQX8cVHmzhYxMVrNuwKgNmqpWK8dDxjgGnK8PtUNJMACbn6xEGxmRauNTHJhUJpg9Mwz8htBBND

BITCOIN (BTC): bc1qgu58lfszcpqu6fd8l98m378wgzugyg9y93lcym

BITCOIN CASH (BCH): qr28d80s5juzv2793k5jrq59xrl5fxd8qg9h3zlkk2

PAYPAL, WESTERN UNION etc: write to info@southfront.press , southfront@list.ru

If you face any problems sending funds to the addresses given above, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru. Also be aware that many email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo etc. may block correspondence from info@southfront.press and some others put it in spam.

If you want to support SouthFront but have no opportunity to do it via cryptocurrency, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru.

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

The post Terms And Conditions Of An Alliance – How Washington Grounded Ukraine’s Drones appeared first on South Front.

The deteriorating relationship between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy has moved from diplomatic friction to operational consequence. Ukraine is now paying for it in real time.

On October 12, Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles. Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed publicly that no warning of the launches was received from its American partners. The intelligence blackout was not accidental. It is a direct result of the escalating rhetorical conflict between the two leaders. Ukraine risks losing early warning coverage entirely.

Russia appears to be exploiting the rift with deliberate efficiency. Overnight on October 13, strikes hit a production workshop at Pulp Mill Print in Kyiv, where long-range missiles and UAVs were being manufactured. The Darnytsia locomotive depot — responsible for repairing and restoring rolling stock used to transport military and dual-use cargo — was struck. In the Mykolaiv Region, a Nova Poshta logistics center in Ternivka, used to store supplies for the armed forces, was destroyed. A UAV storage facility in Meshkovo-Pohorilove was wiped out. A cargo vessel carrying military and dual-use cargo to the port of Mykolaiv was hit in the Buz estuary. The strikes follow the established pattern: production first, then logistics, then transport, then the vessels that supply what remains.

The front lines offer no relief from the pressure building in the rear.

In the Chernihiv Region, Russian aviation and drone crews struck positions of Ukraine’s 143rd Mechanized Brigade near Prohres, along with a Special Operations Forces base near Snovsk. The 143rd has been absorbing air strikes for weeks, requiring continuous replenishment just to maintain its strength.

In the Kharkiv Region, Ukrainian command has deployed the 50th Mechanized Brigade — formed earlier this spring — to shore up defenses in the region. The unit is expected to be directed toward Velykyi Burluk. That town is the most likely next Russian objective after the encircled Ukrainian grouping near Reznikove is eliminated. Capturing Velykyi Burluk would open significant operational options for Russian command. Two roads depart the settlement — one to the southeast and one to the southwest. Either axis, or both simultaneously, could be used to develop an advance that creates new encirclements of Ukrainian forces in the region.

Ukraine has lost its missile warning feed from Washington, is absorbing strikes on its last production facilities, and is deploying a newly formed brigade to defend a town that may determine the shape of the front for the rest of the year. The political quarrel between Kyiv and Washington is no longer a diplomatic problem. It is a battlefield problem. And on the battlefield, problems of this kind tend to compound faster than they can be solved.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DEAR FRIENDS. IF YOU LIKE THIS TYPE OF CONTENT, SUPPORT SOUTHFRONT WORK:

MONERO (XMR): 86yfEHs6pkoDEKCxc6MAnQX8cVHmzhYxMVrNuwKgNmqpWK8dDxjgGnK8PtUNJMACbn6xEGxmRauNTHJhUJpg9Mwz8htBBND

BITCOIN (BTC): bc1qgu58lfszcpqu6fd8l98m378wgzugyg9y93lcym

BITCOIN CASH (BCH): qr28d80s5juzv2793k5jrq59xrl5fxd8qg9h3zlkk2

PAYPAL, WESTERN UNION etc: write to info@southfront.press , southfront@list.ru

If you face any problems sending funds to the addresses given above, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru. Also be aware that many email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo etc. may block correspondence from info@southfront.press and some others put it in spam.

If you want to support SouthFront but have no opportunity to do it via cryptocurrency, please contact us: info@southfront.press and southfront@list.ru.

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

The post Ballistic Missiles, No Warning: Washington’s Silence Reaches The Front Line appeared first on South Front.