Giant Russian gas plant suspends intake from Kazakhstan after Ukrainian drone strike
The Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest facility of its kind, has been forced to halt its intake of gas from Kazakhstan following a Ukr...
Ukraine is set to become the first European nation to introduce Starlink’s mobile services, with leading telecom provider Kyivstar preparing to roll out messaging capabilities by the end of this year and full mobile satellite broadband by mid-2026, according to the company’s CEO, Oleksandr Komarov.
In an interview with Reuters in Rome, Komarov revealed that field testing is already underway as part of an agreement with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, signed for implementation by the end of 2024. The initiative will allow Elon Musk’s satellite internet service to deliver direct-to-cell connectivity in Ukraine.
The technology, which enables smartphones to connect directly to satellites equipped with modems functioning as orbiting cell towers, will initially support messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal.
“The first phase is over-the-top (OTT) messaging... this will be operational by the end of this year,” Komarov said.
“By early 2026—let’s say Q2 2026 to be cautious—we aim to offer mobile satellite broadband and voice services,.” he added.
SpaceX has not commented publicly on the development. In the U.S. T-Mobile announced plans in June to begin offering data services via its satellite-to-cell network, powered by Starlink, starting in October.
Komarov made his remarks ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, a major international event focused on Ukraine’s reconstruction following more than three years of war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also participating in the summit.
Kyivstar, which is owned by global telecom group VEON, is additionally preparing for a U.S. stock market debut.
Komarov said the company is working towards a NASDAQ listing, with plans to finalise the move in the third quarter of 2025.
“I believe it will be a historic step—the first direct listing of a Ukrainian company on a U.S. exchange during wartime,” he noted.
Despite intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks, Komarov said the country’s telecommunications systems remain resilient. He pointed out that although last year’s strikes on power grids triggered widespread blackouts, the network’s capacity has improved significantly.
“We’re much more resilient now than we were in 2022,” he said. “Currently, we can keep our fixed and mobile services running for up to 10 hours during power outages—even nationwide blackouts.”
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
The Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest facility of its kind, has been forced to halt its intake of gas from Kazakhstan following a Ukrainian drone strike, according to Kazakhstan's energy ministry.
The Louvre Museum in Paris was closed on Sunday after thieves broke in and stole “priceless” jewellery from the Napoleon collection, the French government said.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he is not afraid of going to prison, days before beginning a five-year sentence over his 2007 campaign financing case linked to Libya.
Millions of Americans took to the streets for “No Kings” rallies across all 50 states, denouncing what they called the corruption and authoritarianism of President Donald Trump.
Türkiye is ready to assume a de facto guarantor role if a two-state solution in Palestine is implemented, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.
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