Notes and Essays -- John Brown

Military-grade system appeared to be working more normally on Thursday, soon after the call By Alexander Ward and Lara Seligman the Wall Street Journal Updated Oct. 22, 2026 4:54 pm ET Articule contains A Ukrainian drone operator installs a Starlink communications system. Maria Senovilla/EPA/Shutterstock Quick Summary -- President Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on a military-grade version of Starlink in Ukraine, U.S. officials said. -- U.S. and Ukrainian officials said the Starlink system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after the conversation. -- Trump told officials he was frustrated that Starlink speeds were capped, which rendered some Ukrainian drones powerless against Russian attacks. This summary was generated with AI and reviewed by an editor. Read more about how we use artificial intelligence in our journalism WASHINGTON—President Trump called Elon Musk on Wednesday and asked him to lift restrictions on a military-grade versio...

World Europe The Subterranean Battle Playing Out Deep in Ukraine’s Soviet-Era Pipelines Ukraine and Russia are going head-to-head underground as soldiers crawl through miles of pipelines to get behind enemy lines By Alistair MacDonald and Walker Oct. 22, 2026 6:19 am ET Quick Summary The Ukrainian military says SpaceX’s slowdown of Starlink satellite services is significantly impacting Kyiv’s defenses against Russia. Ukraine uses a basic Starshield service owned by SpaceX, but the speed limit imposed by SpaceX is causing many drone missions to fail. 194 Gift unlocked article Listen (7 min) A soldier from the 13th Khartiia Brigade crawls through a dark tunnel in Eastern Ukraine past stacked supplies. Ukrainian soldiers are increasingly going underground in the fight with Russia. 13th Khartiia Brigade Quick Summary Russian and Ukrainian soldiers are fighting pitched battles inside Soviet-era gas pipelines to bypass drone surveillance and launch surprise attacks. View ...

Staying quiet is riskier than speaking up, Ukrainian officials say, as President Trump goes further than ever in prioritizing Russia’s interests. Credit... President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at the European Union summit in Brussels last week. Ludovic Marin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images By Maria Varenikova , The New York  Times Reporting   from Kyiv, Ukraine Oct. 20, 2026 Updated 4:39 p.m. ET Original article contains useful links Ukraine has been here before with President Trump. But this time, as the American leader plays down Russian violence and makes it harder for Kyiv to respond, Ukrainian leaders have taken a different tack. They have punched back. A senior Ukrainian official likened it to a last chance to sound an alarm as a tsunami approaches. Even before the latest blowup with Mr. Trump, things were looking difficult for Ukraine. Daily strikes were ravaging its energy infrastructure and economy. Ukrainian air defenses were depleted. A difficult winter was ...