Nine new ministers have been appointed by Ukraine’s parliament in the biggest government reshuffle since the Russian invasion.
The shake-up includes new foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, who replaces Dmytro Kuleba, one of the country’s most recognisable faces to Western officials, following his resignation on Wednesday.
Oleksiy Kuleba, a former deputy head of Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, was named deputy prime minister in charge of reconstruction, regions and infrastructure.
The reshuffle took place ahead of Mr Zelensky’s planned visit to the US this month where he hopes to present a “victory plan” to US president Joe Biden. On Thursday, the Ukrainian president said he wanted the government to be “more active” in dealing with allies and investors.
It comes as Russia launched 100 deadly glide bombs in an overnight attack on Ukraine as Russia continued its relentless aerial barrage across the country, Kyiv claimed.
Glide bombs, also called KAB – the Ukrainian acronym for guided aerial bomb, are old-fashioned “iron” aerial bombs of the sort that were dropped by bombers during the Second World War.
Key Points
- UK to send 650 air defence missiles worth £162m to Ukraine
- Ukraine names new foreign minister in cabinet overhaul
- Putin claims Ukraine’s Kursk incursion has failed
- Russia launches 100 glide bombs, Kyiv claims
- Father loses whole family in Lviv strike
Zelensky to visit US air base in Germany today - report
04:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will likely visit the US air base in western Germany today to request increased Western military support, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.
Ukraine’s allies face renewed calls from Mr Zelensky for additional air defences and loosened restrictions on how far into Russia Ukraine can fire American-provided munitions.
“Air defence systems and missiles are needed in Ukraine, not in a warehouse somewhere,” Mr Zelensky said this week. “Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now.”
Top US military leaders, including defence secretary Lloyd Austin, will be in Germany to discuss Ukraine’s wartime needs after Russia conducted one of its deadliest airstrikes in the conflict and Ukraine continued its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.
UK to send 650 air defence missiles worth £162m to Ukraine
04:07
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The British government will send 650 lightweight multi-role missiles worth £162m to help protect the country from Russian drones and bombing.
The new supply of missiles was announced as British defence minister John Healey attended the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of some 50 nations, at a US air base in Germany.
“This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences,” Mr Healey said.
The Ministry of Defence said the missiles made by Thales have a range of more than 6km and can be fired from a variety of platforms on land, sea and air.
Belarus downs Russian drones in a first – reports
04:00
Alexander Butler
In what appears to be the first incident of its kind, the Belarus Air Force has shot down two attack drones launched by its ally Russia – suggesting they had flown off course, a monitoring group claimed.
Belaruski Hajun, a monitoring group in Minsk, said multiple Belarusian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drones near the city of Gomel around 1.30am local time. Gomel lies within about 30km of the Ukraine-Belarus border.
This is the first reported incident involving Belarusian Air Force plane successfully downing Russian drones meant for Ukraine.
A third Russian attack drone was also downed around 2.30am in Belarusian air space, the group said but shared no additional information.
Russia launched another large-scale drone attack on Ukraine overnight, targeting multiple regions of the country, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
I’ve always dreamed of crossing the Russian border on a Ukrainian tank – now I’ve done it
03:00
Alexander Butler
Mapped: Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian Kursk region explained
02:00
Alexander Butler
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
01:00
Alexander Butler
The Russian glide bombs changing the face of the war in Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 23:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine names new foreign minister, two deputy PMs in cabinet overhaul
Thursday 5 September 2024 22:00
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Thursday to appoint a new foreign minister and two new deputy prime ministers, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy carries out his biggest government shakeup since Russia’s Feb. 2022 invasion.
Andrii Sybiha, 49, an experienced diplomat who does not have a prominent public profile, takes the reins of the foreign ministry, replacing Dmytro Kuleba, who has been one of the best known public faces of Ukraine in the West in recent years.
The new foreign ministry leadership is not expected to affect policy significantly; Zelenskiy and his office have taken the leading role in foreign affairs during the war with Russia.
The Ukrainian leader, who travels to the United States this month and hopes to present a “victory plan” to President Joe Biden, has said that Ukraine needs “new energy” and that this autumn will be important for Ukraine in the war.
Dmytro Razumkov, an opposition lawmaker, predicted the new appointments would change little, saying most decisions were made in Zelenskiy’s office, which was conferred considerable new emergency powers under wartime martial law.
Ukraine has achieved a lot in Kursk offensive, Nato says
Thursday 5 September 2024 21:00
Alexander Butler
Ukraine has achieved a lot in its Kursk offensive into Russia but it’s hard to say how the situation will develop next, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Oslo on Thursday.
“Only the Ukrainians can make the difficult choices that are needed, such as where to deploy their forces and what type of warfare is appropriate in this situation,” Stoltenberg said.
Russian forces are advancing in the east of Ukraine while Ukrainian troops have made a bold incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, where it on 6 August launched the biggest foreign attack on Russia since World War Two.
Mr Stoltenberg said Ukraine has the right to self-defence, including with long-range missiles that can reach military targets on Russian territory.
Putin’s aide claims foreign military instructors are working in Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 20:00
Alexander Butler
Russia is now claiming that military instructors from different countries are working in Ukraine and taking part in military actions and the training of Ukrainian forces, Russian news agencies reported today.
The claims were made by the Kremlin spokesperson and Vladimir Putin’s close aide Dmitry Peskov who wrongfully claimed that the US and Europe have shown no interest in a diplomatic solution to the war.
Peskov said Russia does not see any prerequisites for peace talks with Ukraine at the moment and it would continue its military operation inside its smaller neighbour nation until it achieves all of its aims, reported RIA news agency.
He also said that the Russian authorities were not discussing a new mobilisation.
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle has one major aim – to project strength ahead of a tough winter for Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 19:00
Alexander Butler
The EU wants answers from Hungary about work visas for Russia and Belarus
Thursday 5 September 2024 18:00
Alexander Butler
Russia launches 100 glide bombs, Kyiv claims
Thursday 5 September 2024 17:00
Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin’s forces have launched 100 deadly glide bombs in an overnight attack on Ukraine as Russia continued its relentless aerial barrage across the country, Kyiv claimed.
Glide bombs, also called KAB – the Ukrainian acronym for guided aerial bomb, are old-fashioned “iron” aerial bombs of the sort that were dropped by bombers during the Second World War.
Russia is believed to have converted hundreds of thousands of Soviet-era KABs by fitting them with GPS guidance systems and wings. The Ukrainian military did not specify where the bombs had been dropped.
Putin has two secret sons with gymnast who live life of luxury isolated from world
Thursday 5 September 2024 16:00
Alexander Butler
Russian president Vladimir Putin has two secret sons who live an isolated life of luxury in a heavily-guarded mansion, according to a Russian investigative journalism website.
The Dossier Centre reported that Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five, spend most of the year at their father’s vast mansion near Lake Valdai, northwest of Moscow.
Their mother is Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic rhythmic gymnast whose relationship with Putin has been an open secret in Russia for more than a decade, the Dossier Centre claim.
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle has one major aim – to project strength ahead of a tough winter for Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 15:00
Alexander Butler
I’ve always dreamed of crossing the Russian border on a Ukrainian tank – now I’ve done it
Thursday 5 September 2024 14:00
Alexander Butler
Last weekend, when I was taken into Russia’s Kursk region by the Ukrainian army, I remembered how, as a foreign correspondent, I had rued all the bureaucratic hurdles in travelling to and from Moscow.
When I was posted to Moscow, years ago, as a British newspaper’s correspondent for the region, I was messed around by malicious Russianauthorities for months before I was granted a Russian press visa. Even after that, Russian airport officials had a knack of making entry to or exit from their country unpleasant.
It was always a joy to board a western plane flying out of Russia. The air crew said they recognised “that look” of relief on the faces of those taking their seats and, sometimes, would immediately offer a celebratory drink to passengers – even if they were flying economy.
Ukrainian parliament appoints Andrii Sybiha as foreign minister
Thursday 5 September 2024 13:30
Alexander Butler
Ukrainian parliament on Thursday appointed first deputy foreign minister Andrii Sybiha as Ukraine’s new foreign minister, lawmakers said.
Putin claims Ukraine’s Kursk incursion has failed to slow Russia’s eastern advance
Thursday 5 September 2024 11:45
Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin has claimed Ukraine’s incursion into the Russian region of Kursk had failed to slow Russia’s own advance in eastern Ukraine.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said Russian forces were now gradually pushing Ukrainian soldiers out of Kursk.
Kyiv launched the audacious cross-border incursion into the region on 6 August, the largest foreign attack into Russia since the Second World War.
“The enemy’s goal was to make us nervous and worry and to transfer troops from one sector to another and to stop our offensive in key areas, primarily in the Donbas,” Putin said. “Did it work? No.”
Putin has two secret sons with gymnast who live life of luxury isolated from world
Thursday 5 September 2024 10:23
Alexander Butler
Russian president Vladimir Putin has two secret sons who live an isolated life of luxury in a heavily-guarded mansion, according to a Russian investigative journalism website.
The Dossier Centre reported that Ivan, nine, and Vladimir Jr, five, spend most of the year at their father’s vast mansion near Lake Valdai, northwest of Moscow.
Their mother is Alina Kabaeva, the former Olympic rhythmic gymnast whose relationship with Putin has been an open secret in Russia for more than a decade, the Dossier Centre claim.
At least 7 killed in Russian strike on Lviv on Wednesday
Thursday 5 September 2024 07:58
Alexander Butler
Russia launches 100 glide bombs, Kyiv claims
Thursday 5 September 2024 07:34
Alexander Butler
Vladimir Putin’s forces have launched 100 deadly glide bombs in an overnight attack on Ukraine as Russia continued its relentless aerial barrage across the country, Kyiv claimed.
Glide bombs, also called KAB – the Ukrainian acronym for guided aerial bomb, are old-fashioned “iron” aerial bombs of the sort that were dropped by bombers during the Second World War.
Russia is believed to have converted hundreds of thousands of Soviet-era KABs by fitting them with GPS guidance systems and wings. The Ukrainian military did not specify where the bombs had been dropped.
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle has one major aim – to project strength ahead of a tough winter for Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 07:01
Arpan Rai
Dmytro Kuleba is one of Ukraine’s most recognisable faces to Western officials, seemingly never afraid to speak his mind. It is that independence that has contributed to the foreign minister becoming the highest-profile member of president Volodymyr Zelensky’s cabinet involved in another major shake-up of Ukraine’s top brass. One which will end up the largest of the war.
Kuleba has offered his resignation as part of what is seen as a political “reset” for Kyiv engineered by Zelensky and his close circle. A number of other ministers also submitted their resignations on Tuesday. Zelensky has said that the cabinet overhaul is part of an effort to “give new strength” to Ukraine’s government and, in the process, solidify Zelensky’s ability to guide policy.
The reshuffle comes at a crucial point. Ukraine has been slowly losing territory in the eastern Donetsk region to a Russian advance, while drone and missile attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure have led to rolling nationwide blackouts, which are likely only to worsen as we head towards winter.
An audacious cross-border assault into Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv’s forces have taken about 1,000 square kilometres of territory in around three weeks, has given a much-needed morale boost and reminded Western allies that Kyiv can still surprise its enemy, despite being significantly outgunned and at a troop disadvantage.
Live: Putin delivers keynote speech at Eastern Economic Forum
Thursday 5 September 2024 06:54
Arpan Rai
Putin’s aide claims foreign military instructors are working in Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 06:31
Arpan Rai
Russia is now claiming that military instructors from different countries are working in Ukraine and taking part in military actions and the training of Ukrainian forces, Russian news agencies reported today.
The claims were made by the Kremlin spokesperson and Vladimir Putin’s close aide Dmitry Peskov who wrongfully claimed that the US and Europe have shown no interest in a diplomatic solution to the war.
Peskov said Russia does not see any prerequisites for peace talks with Ukraine at the moment and it would continue its military operation inside its smaller neighbour nation until it achieves all of its aims, reported RIA news agency.
He also said that the Russian authorities were not discussing a new mobilisation.
Father sole survivor in one of the deadliest attacks of war
Thursday 5 September 2024 06:23
Arpan Rai
A father has lost his entire family after his house was destroyed during Russia’s attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Yaroslav Bazylevych’s wife Eugenia and the couple’s three daughters, Yarya, 21, Daria, 18 and Emilia, seven, were all killed on Wednesday morning.
The attack led Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi to accuse Russia of “eliminating Ukrainians by (killing off) entire families”.
Ukrainian emergency services said his daughters – Daryna, 18, her sisters Yaryna, 21, and Emilia, 7, and their 43-year-old mother Yevhenia were killed while sheltering in the staircase of their residential building.
Behind enemy lines with Ukraine’s troops in Russia
Thursday 5 September 2024 06:00
Tom Watling
Belarus downs Russian drones in a first – reports
Thursday 5 September 2024 05:50
Arpan Rai
In what appears to be the first incident of its kind, the Belarus Air Force has shot down two attack drones launched by its ally Russia – suggesting they had flown off course, a monitoring group claimed.
Belaruski Hajun, a monitoring group in Minsk, said multiple Belarusian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drones near the city of Gomel around 1.30am local time. Gomel lies within about 30km of the Ukraine-Belarus border.
This is the first reported incident involving Belarusian Air Force plane successfully downing Russian drones meant for Ukraine.
A third Russian attack drone was also downed around 2.30am in Belarusian air space, the group said but shared no additional information.
Russia launched another large-scale drone attack on Ukraine overnight, targeting multiple regions of the country, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
White House’s Finer meets Zelensky in Kyiv on security, energy
Thursday 5 September 2024 05:06
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s top priorities for its war against Russia in the remainder of Joe Biden’s term was the key topic as deputy US national security adviser Jon Finer met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials in Kyiv yesterday, US officials said.
Finer’s discussions included a 90-minute meeting with Ukrainian military officials to discuss the state of the war and the strategy going forward, the officials told Reuters. The official also got an update on how the Kursk incursion was proceeding, the officials said.
“While in Kyiv, Mr Finer has had the opportunity to meet with president Zelensky and other key Ukrainian officials to coordinate on our strategic planning over the remainder of president Biden’s term,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett.
Mr Finer made the trip at the behest of Mr Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss US support for Ukraine while the Democrat leader remains in office. His term ends on 20 January.
“We have used these meetings to discuss US assistance for Ukraine’s military, economy, and energy system, among other areas, and we will use the outcomes of these meetings to advance the president’s policy to support Ukraine until they prevail in this war,” Mr Savett said.
Another US official said Mr Finer’s hour-long session with Mr Zelensky and top aide Andriy Yermak was productive and substantive and included an update on the state of the war and strategy going forward.
Poland ‘has duty’ to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine
Thursday 5 September 2024 05:00
Tom Watling
‘Zelensky style’ cabinet shuffle was delayed by talks with West, analysts say
Thursday 5 September 2024 04:46
Arpan Rai
Analysts said the government reset had been planned for some time but was postponed as Volodymyr Zelensky had focused on talks with Kyiv’s Western partners to secure military and financial aid.
“This is a planned personnel overhaul of the government,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kyiv-based political analyst.
“Now half of the government will be renewed. This is Zelensky’s style. He believes that the new minister brings new energy, new approaches, works more actively. He expects exactly this effect.”
Fesenko did not expect a major foreign policy change following Kuleba’s expected dismissal.
The Kremlin said that government changes in Ukraine would not affect a peace negotiation process in any way, although such talks appear a distant prospect with the two warring parties far apart in their objectives.
The next few months are key for Mr Zelensky as he seeks to win more support from the West and seize back the initiative in the war with Russia, after its invasion in February 2022.
Surprise Ukrainian resignations include the nation's top diplomat
Thursday 5 September 2024 04:18
Arpan Rai
A spate of resignations from Ukraine’s government came with one major surprise: the departure of Dmytro Kuleba, the career diplomat who courted Western support for his country’s defence as its tireless foreign minister.
Ahead of a major overhaul of the government, six Cabinet ministers have resigned, sending handwritten notes to parliament that offered little explanation for their decisions. Kuleba was the last to leave yesterday, though his exit has not been formally sanctioned by parliament.
The 43-year-old Kuleba became Ukraine’s most recognisable representative abroad – second only to president Volodymyr Zelensky - and built close relationships with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European leaders.
Both before and after the full-scale Russian invasion of early 2022, he argued on multiple trips abroad that the outcome of the conflict was a test of Western resolve to push back autocracy.
“I believe that Kuleba is a good communicator, and it’s bad to lose him as minister, but we do not know what his next position will be,” said Olexiy Haran, a professor of political science at Kyiv Mohyla University.
Haran said Kuleba’s departure was unlikely to bring any change to Ukrainian foreign policy, given the list of his possible successors.
One killed in Russian shelling in Donetsk
Thursday 5 September 2024 04:11
Arpan Rai
At least one person has been killed and three others injured this morning in eastern Ukraine as Russian forces shelled a residential area of Kostiantynivka town, officials said.
The attack used a multiple rocket launcher, prosecutors in the eastern Donetsk region said in a report on Telegram. One body was pulled from under rubble, they added.
Kostiantynivka has long been viewed as a key target for Russian forces advancing slowly westward through the Donetsk region. It lies northeast of Pokrovsk, the sector seeing the heaviest fighting on the eastern part of the 1,000km (600 mile) front line.
UN nuclear watchdog head is in Ukraine out of renewed concern over Zaporizhzhia power plant safety
Thursday 5 September 2024 04:00
Tom Watling
How it felt to cross the Russian border on a Ukrainian tank
Thursday 5 September 2024 03:00
Tom Watling
EU ministers take a very public swipe at Hungary over a lack of respect for the bloc's values
Thursday 5 September 2024 02:00
Tom Watling
Watch: Drone rains down molten thermite on Ukrainian battlefield
Thursday 5 September 2024 01:00
Tom Watling
At least 51 killed in one of deadliest Russian attacks of Ukraine war
Thursday 5 September 2024 00:00
Tom Watling
Ukrainian defence minister Umerov visits Berlin
Wednesday 4 September 2024 23:00
Tom Watling
Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov visited Berlin today to discuss Germany’s continued support for Kyiv.
Umerov was in London yesterday and Washington last week.
Germany is the second biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.
White House’s Finer meets Zelensky in Kyiv on security, energy
Wednesday 4 September 2024 22:00
Tom Watling
Deputy US national security adviser Jon Finer has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials in Kyiv to discuss top priorities in Ukraine‘s war with Russia for the remainder of President Joe Biden’s term, US officials have said.
Finer’s discussions included a 90-minute meeting with Ukrainian military officials to discuss the state of the war and the strategy going forward, the officials told Reuters.
Russian forces are advancing in the east of Ukraine while Ukrainian troops have made a bold incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. The next months are key for Zelensky as he seeks to win more support from the West and seize back the initiative in the war with Russia, after its invasion in February 2022.
Finer got an update on how the Kursk incursion was proceeding, the officials said.
”While in Kyiv, Mr. Finer has had the opportunity to meet with President Zelensky and other key Ukrainian officials to coordinate on our strategic planning over the remainder of President Biden’s term,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett.
Finer made the trip at the behest of Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss US support for Ukraine while Biden remains in office. His term ends on 20 January.
”We have used these meetings to discuss US assistance for Ukraine’s military, economy, and energy system, among other areas, and we will use the outcomes of these meetings to advance the president’s policy to support Ukraine until they prevail in this war,” Savett said.
Deputy Nat’l Security Advisor Jon Finer met @AndriyYermak and others to hear a military update of the situation on the ground, discuss increasing sanctions against Russia, & join the Peace Formula on food security to underscore the importance of Black Sea security to the world. pic.twitter.com/s6mDJQ2JkK
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) September 4, 2024
Zelensky: we are accomplishing all tasks in Russia’s Kursk region
Wednesday 4 September 2024 21:00
Tom Watling
Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky has saidthat Ukraine‘s military was accomplishing all the tasks set out in its operations in Russia’s Kursk region.
“It is very important that absolutely all the tasks set out in our Kursk operation are being accomplished,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address after referring to frontline reports presented by Ukraine‘s commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
At this time, rescue operations in Lviv and Kryvyi Rih have been completed—where today, innocent people suffered from Russian missile strikes. Ordinary homes and civilian infrastructure were damaged. Many were injured, and all have received the necessary help. Sadly, 7 people… pic.twitter.com/LHUrxN71PK
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 4, 2024
Wearing prosthetics, Ukraine war veterans take to the runway as fashion week returns
Wednesday 4 September 2024 20:00
Tom Watling
UN nuclear chief visits Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Wednesday 4 September 2024 19:31
Tom Watling
The United Nations nuclear agency chief has visited the Zaporizhzhia power plant after warning that it could become a “disaster” if caught up in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Rafael Grossi was pictured inspecting the site today. Yesterday, he was in Kyiv speaking to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The EU wants answers from Hungary about work visas for Russia and Belarus
Wednesday 4 September 2024 18:46
Tom Watling
US to accuse Russia of effort to influence 2024 election, CNN says
Wednesday 4 September 2024 18:18
Tom Watling
The United States plans to accuse Russia on Wednesday of a campaign to influence the 2024 elections using online platforms to target American voters with disinformation, CNN has reported, citing six sources familiar with the matter.
Russian state media network RT will be a focus of the announcement, CNN reported.
The news comes just hours before Attorney General Merrick Garland is due to make public remarks at a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force.
He will be joined by FBI Director Chris Wray, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, and Matt Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment ahead of the election task force meeting.
The Justice Department has previously warned that Russia remains a threat to the 5 November presidential election.
In a speech last month, Monaco warned that Russian president Vladimir Putin “and his proxies are using increasingly sophisticated techniques in their interference operations.”
Children throughout Ukraine ‘can never be truly safe’, aid organisation warns
Wednesday 4 September 2024 17:45
Tom Watling
No children in Ukraine “can ever be truly safe” with Russian missile strikes targeting everything from civilian homes to education facilities, an aid organisation has warned.
Save the Children, a global initiative seeking to protect children, said young people are “paying the highest price” for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It comes as a baby was among three children killed in today’s strike on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Sonia Khush, Save the Children Country Director in Ukraine, said: “Instead of morning alarms that would wake them to go to school, children are startled awake by air raid sirens and forced into shelters straight out of bed.
“Instead of learning and playing, children are being killed, injured, and left emotionally distressed. Three in four children in Ukraine are living in constant fear amid an escalating mental health crisis.
“As there are no signs of attacks slowing, children are paying the highest price. We must no longer tolerate violence against the most vulnerable of human beings. International humanitarian law should be the cornerstone that everybody abides by to ensure children, their families, and homes are protected from shelling and strikes.”
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle of his top team has one major aim
Wednesday 4 September 2024 17:19
Tom Watling
Lavrov warns US not to mock Russia's 'red lines'
Wednesday 4 September 2024 16:52
Tom Watling
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, responding to a question about the potential delivery of long-range US missiles to Ukraine, has warned the United States not to joke about Russia's “red lines”.
Lavrov said the US was losing sight of the sense of mutual deterrence that had underpinned the balance of security between Moscow and Washington since the Cold War, and that this was dangerous.
He was commenting on a Reuters report that the US is close to an agreement to supply Ukraine with long-range JASSM cruise missiles that could reach deep inside Russia - for which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been lobbying.
"I won't be surprised by anything - the Americans have already crossed the threshold they set for themselves. They are being egged on, and Zelensky of course sees this and takes advantage of it,” Lavrov told a Russian TV interviewer.
“But they should understand - they are joking about our red lines here. They shouldn't joke about our red lines.”
Kremlin officials have often warned Kyiv’s allies against crossing “red lines”, nodding towards the potential for nuclear retaliation, on several occasions. Those threats have yet, however, to be proved anything other than empty.
Swiss offer Ukrainian refugees protection until 2026
Wednesday 4 September 2024 16:21
Tom Watling
The Swiss government will not lift its protection status for Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion before March 4, 2026, as the situation in their country is not expected to change in the foreseeable future, it has announced.
Switzerland granted Ukrainian refugees protection status “S,” which grants temporary protection to those in need as long as they are exposed to serious general danger, in March 2022.
Germany won't let up in military aid to Ukraine, Scholz says
Wednesday 4 September 2024 15:50
Tom Watling
Germany will not slacken in its military support for Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, trying to dispel fears Berlin might disappoint Kyiv amid a domestic budget squeeze and media reports of a freeze on new German military aid.
“Germany’s support for Ukraine will not cease. We have made provisions, struck (defence) deals and secured the funding in good time so that Ukraine can continue to fully rely on us in future,” Scholz said.
European defence stocks fell in mid-August after the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) newspaper said the German finance ministry would not approve additional applications for Ukraine military aid due to budget constraints.
A German government spokesperson later called that report “incorrect” and reiterated Berlin’s support for Ukraine for “as long as necessary”.
Father loses ‘entire family’ in Russian strike in Lviv
Wednesday 4 September 2024 15:32
Tom Watling
A father has lost his entire family after his house was destroyed during Russia’s attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Yaroslav Bazylevych’s wife Eugenia and the couple’s three daughters, Yarya, 21, Daria, 18 and Emilia, seven, were all killed on Wednesday morning.
The attack led Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi to accuse Russia of “eliminating Ukrainians by (killing off) entire families”.
Ukraine’s foreign minister submits resignation
Wednesday 4 September 2024 15:15
Tom Watling
Ukraine’s foreign minister has offered his resignation amid Kyiv’s largest government reshuffle in the country’s 30-month war against Russia.
Dmytro Kuleba offered to stand down on Wednesday just days after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky promised a major government reset to “strengthen” Ukraine ahead of winter.
Five ministers stepped down on Tuesday with more resignations and appointments expected over the next few days as Kyiv continues to struggle with Russian attacks on its towns and cities.
Mr Zelensky said: “Autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions should be configured so that Ukraine achieves all the results that we need - for all of us.”
Those who handed in their resignations on Tuesday included strategic industries minister Alexander Kamyshin and justice minister Denys Maliuska.
