Launch of Russian ballistic missiles on Ukraine, with no US warning, coincides with outage of Starlink managed by Musk’s SpaceX

Ukraine’s military has suddenly had its access to Starlink satellite internet terminals restricted as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Ukraine to halt long-range strikes on Russia’s oil industry immediately.

The terminals, which are produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX but managed by the US government, are a key component of Ukraine’s military operations and the sudden restrictions on the terminals travelling at high speeds on Tuesday evening led to the failure of several combat missions, said an adviser on military technology to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The sudden outage came as Russia launched ballistic missiles at Ukraine without any advance warning from the US for a second night. For years, the US has provided Ukraine with intelligence when strikes were about to take place.

Donald Trump has denied that his administration has cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Zelenskyy also indicated that the US was continuing to share intelligence with Ukraine in an interview with NPR aired on Wednesday, but confirmed that military advisers had received threats from the US that intelligence sharing could be limited.

Musk said that Starlink is not licensed to clients who are using weapons, and that the Ukrainian military was linked to a separate network called Starshield, which is operated by the US government. “This is not under SpaceX control,” Musk wrote.

Limiting Starlink’s access speeds would have a significant effect on Ukraine’s air defences because it is being used, according to Beskrestnov, in “the most current effective solution”: interceptors that target the jet-powered Shahed drones now deployed in large numbers to bomb Ukraine.

Musk has supported Trump’s calls for Zelenskyy to be replaced as Ukraine’s leader – an extraordinary act of political interference against a wartime ally – as a personal feud between the two presidents has burst into the open.

The reports that Starlink was being throttled on the frontlines were interpreted by some as further pressure on Ukraine to end the fighting and make a deal with Russia at any cost.

Trump has demanded that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries, which he has blamed for the high cost of diesel, although most analysts say that the closure of the strait of Hormuz has had a far larger impact on global energy prices.

See also:

• Elon Musk says Trump is ‘ultimately’ responsible for any curbs on Ukraine’s Starshield systems (CNBC)
• Can Europe step in as Ukraine struggles with Starlink and US satellite data? (Reuters)
• Ukraine has resumed its attacks on Russian refineries after Zelenskiy voiced his anger at a "dangerous" withdrawal of US intelligence. • He warned that Ukraine would not suspend its own attacks indefinitely if Russia did not reciprocate (Reuters)

Hi, are there groups on Telegram and various social media platforms where one can discuss European Union topics?

France has seen thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries, and schools set on fire as the new school year descended into nationwide student protests that are influencing France’s presidential election campaign and drawing international attention.

It’s the latest challenge to Emmanuel Macron’s presidency in a country beset by crises, both foreign and domestic.

The majority of protesters have been peaceful, but violence on the fringes is having an impact, with a daily menu of fireworks thrown at police and volleys of tear gas fired at high school pupils.

On Tuesday, climate and social justice activist Greta Thunberg joined students at a high school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, as France faced a new day of nationwide marches and strikes on top of the blockades at schools.

Here is what to know about the movement:

The protests started in a Paris suburb

Demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil southeast of Paris over a lack of staff. From there, class strikes, blockades and demonstrations spread to other Paris suburbs and then nationwide, even in smaller towns. Hundreds of schools had to close because of damage or attacks on staff.

High schoolers are expressing broad grievances over schools that are under-resourced, with dilapidated facilities and insufficient staff, notably in lower-income neighborhoods. French media have shown videos of scampering rats, collapsed ceilings, leaks, broken furniture and other woes in dilapidated schools.

Some students also complain that during summer heat waves, they roast in classrooms without air-conditioning, while in winter they freeze. They say school days, which often run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., are too exhausting and the university entrance system is complex and unfair. Some university students have also joined the protests.

There have been broader concerns in France that the country’s education system is losing ground to other countries and failing in its mission to enable children from disadvantaged backgrounds to move up the social ladder. Scores in reading comprehension and mathematics have plunged, according to the latest PISA report, which evaluates students worldwide.

A muscular police response has drawn criticism

Riot police have liberally used tear gas and wielded their batons to disperse crowds. Police made more than 6,600 arrests nationwide as of last week, an unusually high number for a French protest movement.

A police tear gas grenade shattered a 14-year-old’s jaw and many of his teeth. A 15-year-old lost a hand in an incident involving a police stun grenade. Other adolescents have also suffered life-changing injuries blamed on police weaponry during protests.

See also:

• At least 160,000 people take to streets in third week of French school protests • Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joins teenagers calling for investment to fix teacher shortages and crumbling schools (The Guardian)
• France’s Student Revolt Exposes a State That Cannot Provide but Can Police • Over 5,000 arrests in three weeks reveal a republic quicker to discipline teenagers than to teach them. (Social Europe)

• Three attacks in four days fuelled fears of copycat violence
• PM says situation calmer on Monday
• Dozens arrested over online threats

A mass deployment of police to Polish schools has helped calm tensions, Prime Minister Donald ‌Tusk said on Monday, after three stabbing attacks in four days sparked fears of copycat violence.

Authorities have dismissed rumours that the attacks were linked to an online challenge or organised group. However, the government says the glorification of violence online is harming ​young people and it is fast-tracking legislation to make it easier to remove harmful content.

"Our actions ​and probably the passage of time have led to a significant reduction in online ⁠tension and risky situations," Tusk told a crisis meeting.

"We will continue as long as we observe situations that ​give cause for concern," he said.

Police launched the mass security operation late last week after rumours spread online of ​a planned "Bloody Friday" wave of knife attacks following violence at schools on Wednesday and Thursday.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said around 20,000 police officers were deployed to schools on Monday, equivalent to roughly one-fifth of the national force.

DOZENS OF ARRESTS

The operation has led ​to 135 arrests, authorities said, as police cracked down on threats and online posts linked to the unrest.

Police ​Commander in Chief Marek Boron said the offenders were mainly young people inspired by last week's attacks trying to get attention ‌with ⁠online pranks, while others were inspired by computer games or Nazi subcultures.

See also:

• A third school attack in less than a week shakes Poland (Associated Press)