Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a joint briefing with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outside the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, Ukraine, on March 6, 2024 , the church was destroyed by Russian shelling.
Ukrainian News Agency | Noor Photo | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired a long-time aide and several advisers on Saturday, continuing a reshuffle that came as Russia launched new attacks overnight.
Zelensky fired senior aide Serhiy Shefir, who had served as first assistant since 2019. Ukraine’s president also fired three advisers and two presidential representatives responsible for overseeing volunteer activities and soldiers’ rights.
There was no immediate explanation for the latest change in widespread personnel changes in recent months. These include the dismissal of Oleksii Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, on Tuesday, and the dismissal of Armed Forces Commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi on February 8. Earlier this month, he was appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK.
The Ukrainian Air Force said on Saturday that Russia launched 12 “Shahed” drones overnight, 9 of which were shot down, and launched 4 missiles into eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a social media post that Russia launched 38 missiles, 75 air strikes and 98 multiple rocket launcher attacks in the past 24 hours.
Ukrainian energy company Centrenergo announced on Saturday that the Zmiv Thermal Power Plant, one of the largest thermal power plants in the eastern Kharkiv region, was completely destroyed after Russian shelling last week. Blackout plans remain in effect for about 120,000 people in the region, where 700,000 people were without power after an attack on a nuclear power plant on March 22.
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent days, causing significant damage to multiple regions.
Officials in the Poltava region said on Saturday that an infrastructure site had been hit “several times” but did not specify whether it was an energy facility.
Meanwhile, the toll of Friday’s massive attack by 99 drones and missiles across Ukraine came to light on Saturday, with local officials in the Kherson region announcing the death of a civilian on Saturday morning. A resident of the Dnepropetrovsk region died in hospital from shell wounds, according to regional governor Serhiy Lisak.
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