Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, recently let go of steadfast adviser Serhiy Shefir, along with several other advisers and presidential representatives in charge of volunteer efforts and soldiers’ rights. This is reportedly an ongoing staff reorganisation for which further reasons haven’t been formally provided. Notably, this follows the recent dismissal of Oleksii Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, head of Ukraine’s armed forces, who is currently serving as Ukrainian ambassador to the UK.
Regarding military activity, Ukraine’s air force reported a new wave of attacks by Russia. These included 12 Shahed drone sorties, out of which nine were intercepted, as well as the launching of four missiles towards eastern Ukraine. The country’s military further reported 38 missile launches, 75 airstrikes, and 98 multiple rocket launcher attacks within the last day. Regional governor Vadym Filashkin provided civilian casualty figures from Donetsk’s partial occupation, reportedly amounting to two deaths and one wounded person.
On the infrastructure front, Centrenergo, a Ukrainian energy firm, has declared the total obliteration of the Zmiiv Thermal Power Plant, a major facility located in the eastern Kharkiv region hit by Russian bombardment. Roughly 120,000 people remain under rolling power cut schedules as a consequence of the attack that initially affected 700,000 inhabitants. As a result, Russia’s recent intensification of offensives against Ukrainian energy facilities has caused extensive regional damage. The Poltava area experienced notable blows, though it wasn’t immediately clear if energy services were directly impacted.
Lastly, the offensive’s human cost continues to mount. The aftermath of 99 drone and missile attacks on Friday caused a resident from the Dnipropetrovsk region to succumb to shrapnel injuries at a local hospital, while a civilian was reported dead in the Kherson region, according to regional leaders.