A Russian drone strike has killed at least 12 people, according to Ukrainian emergency officials. Authorities say the drone hit a bus carrying mine workers, injuring at least 7 others. And in a separate strike, Russian drones hit a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia, injuring several people.
As Ukraine assesses the damage, the country's new defense minister is praising Elon Musk for stripping Russia of one of its tools for attacking Ukraine: Starlink internet service.
Ukrainian officials say Russia has been increasing drone accuracy and range, including against critical energy targets, by using Starlink satellite internet terminals.
Ukraine has publicly shared images that it says show a Starlink antenna attached to a Russian drone. It warns the connectivity makes Russian drone strikes more precise and harder to disrupt.
Ukraine's new defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the former government technology chief, called on SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to shut down the tool, and Starlink responded with a fix to ground the killer drones.
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Scripps News' Jason Bellini saw the results on the Starlink unit he uses to report from Ukraine.
He was required for the first time to verify his identity by submitting a photo of his passport.
Starlink has also added new restrictions on high-speed use of its terminals, to keep drones from using the service on their final approach.
Ukraine says SpaceX moved fast, but this is a live cat and mouse game. The moment one loophole closes, Russia looks for another.
