Russian Airstrikes Kill 20 in Ukraine as U.S. Cuts Satellite Aid

Russian airstrikes pummeled Ukraine overnight killing at least 20 people as Moscow intensified its aerial campaign into a second day. The barrage hit civilian areas and infrastructure raising fears of a brutal new phase in the war now in its third year. The strikes follow a U.S. decision to halt sharing satellite imagery with Kyiv dimming its ability to track Russian moves.

Ukraine’s military reported missiles and drones striking cities like Kharkiv and Odesa with rescuers pulling bodies from rubble. President Zelenskyy condemned the attacks as deliberate terror urging more Western air defenses. The death toll could rise as emergency teams sift through shattered homes and power stations.

The U.S. stopped providing real-time satellite data this week citing security concerns after leaks showed Russian forces adapting. Pentagon officials say the move protects American assets but Ukrainian leaders call it a betrayal at a critical hour. Without the intel Kyiv’s forces struggle to predict and counter Moscow’s next salvos.

Russia’s escalation comes amid gains in eastern Donbas where its troops have seized villages despite heavy losses. Analysts tie the airstrikes to a strategy of breaking Ukrainian morale as winter looms cutting heat and light. Putin has vowed to press on claiming Kyiv’s resistance only delays the inevitable.

The timing of the U.S. pullback stings after months of Biden pledging unwavering support against Russian aggression. Zelenskyy’s team argues the imagery was key to thwarting attacks that now kill civilians unchecked. Critics in Washington blast the shift as a gift to Putin weakening a key ally on the front lines.

Ukraine’s air defenses downed some incoming threats but stocks of interceptors dwindle without faster aid. Residents in targeted cities hunker in shelters as blackouts spread from damaged grids. The strikes expose gaps in protection that Western hesitance fails to fill fast enough.

Moscow denies targeting civilians insisting its strikes hit military sites though evidence shows otherwise. The Kremlin hailed the U.S. data cutoff as proof of waning American resolve in the conflict. For Putin’s war machine the skies over Ukraine are now a freer hunting ground.

The bloodshed underscores the war’s grinding toll with no peace talks in sight and both sides digging in. Ukraine pleads for tools to fight back while Russia bets on outlasting Western unity. As bodies pile up the U.S. rethink leaves Kyiv facing darker nights alone.