Russian launches 45 drones over Ukraine following Kyiv’s cabinet shakeup

On Sunday, just days after Kiev began a shake-up of its wartime cabinet, Russia launched 45 drones over Ukraine in a five-and-a-half-hour attack.

ukrainian air force stated in a statement It said it had shot down 40 Iranian-made Shahid drones in nine different regions of Ukraine, including near Kiev. The attack targeted agricultural facilities and coastal infrastructure, the Associated Press reported, according to Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces.

The military said an airstrike in the Mykolaiv region caused a fire, damaging some buildings and injuring at least one person, the news agency said. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Raisak, said at least one person was injured during the strike in the region, according to the Associated Press.

The latest barrage against Ukraine comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy replaces his wartime cabinet and seeks a fresh start. Last week, he removed General Valery Zarzhny, who had been the top commander of Ukraine’s armed forces since 2021, from the top post. He will be replaced by Colonel Oleksandr Shirsky, former commander of the ground forces of Ukraine.

Kiev announced Sunday that Lieutenant General Alexander Pavlyuk has been appointed the new commander of Ukraine’s ground forces amid recent regime reforms, according to the Associated Press.

Lawmakers are working on a bill to authorize more aid to Ukraine as Kiev approaches two years of fighting with Russia and hopes for a fresh start in its war with Russia. The Senate voted Friday to advance a $95.3 billion package to fund Ukraine, Israel and other national security priorities.

This comes after previous efforts to provide funding to Ukraine and Israel and pass provisions on border security failed in Congress last week.

Associated Press contributed