Zelenskyj promises reforms – the situation at a glance

War in Ukraine

Ukrainian President announces reforms to the Defense Ministry. Meanwhile, Russia is shelling the south of Ukraine and reports the defense of several Ukrainian missiles over Crimea. An overview of current events in the war in Ukraine and an outlook for the day.

More news about the war in Ukraine

The Ukrainian one President Volodymyr Zelensky announced reforms in the Defense Ministry after a meeting with the new Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov. In his video message on Wednesday evening, Zelenskyj promised, among other things, more digitalization, better supply of troops and reductions in bureaucracy. This should give commanders more time to focus on actual fighting rather than paperwork, the Ukrainian president said.

In September – around 18 months after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine – Zelensky fired Defense Minister Olexij Reznikov following corruption allegations. Subsequently, six of his deputies were removed from office. Umyerov became the new minister. He was previously head of the Ukrainian State Assets Fund.

Dead and injured in southern Ukraine after Russian shelling in the evening

At least two people were killed and four others were injured by Russian shelling in southern Ukraine on Wednesday evening. According to the Interior Ministry, two civilians were killed and one person was injured in a Russian missile attack on a food warehouse in the Mykolaiv region.

In the neighboring Kherson region, three more people were injured by artillery and air strikes, according to military governor Olexander Prokudin.

The Russian Defense Ministry previously reported the defense of two Ukrainian S-200 missiles near the important port city of Sevastopol on the occupied Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. Accordingly, there should be no injuries or damage.

Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels published videos showing plumes of smoke rising near the city. Ukrainian observers locate Black Sea Fleet weapons bases in this area. The information cannot be independently verified.

That will be important on Thursday

The Ukrainian counteroffensive continues in the south and east of Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is continuing his two-day visit to North Korea. In view of the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, US President Joe Biden wants to address the nation in a speech from the Oval Office at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday evening (local time/Friday 2:00 a.m. CET). (dpa/ank)

“This is how the editorial team works” informs you when and what we report on, how we deal with errors and where our content comes from. When reporting, we adhere to the guidelines of Journalism Trust Initiative.