KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – The Russian military launched 45 drones over Ukraine on Sunday, as the war enters its third year and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy continues to reshuffle his war cabinet. Officials announced that the bombardment continued for five and a half hours. .
Ukraine’s air force said in a statement that it shot down 40 Iranian-made Shahid drones in nine areas, including on the outskirts of the capital Kiev.
Officials with the Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine wrote on Telegram that the five-and-a-half-hour attack targeted agricultural facilities and coastal infrastructure. A strike in the Mykolaiv region injured one person and caused a fire that damaged a nearby residential building, authorities said.
Another person was injured in a fire caused by falling debris from a destroyed drone in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, said Serhiy Lysak, head of the region’s military administration.
The attack comes as President Zelenskiy continues to shake up military commanders to maintain momentum against attacks on Russian forces.
A burnt out car during a Russian attack on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, February 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Yevhen Titov)
Kiev announced on Sunday that former deputy defense minister Lieutenant General Alexander Pavlyuk will become the new commander of Ukraine’s ground forces. The post was previously held by Col. Oleksandr Shirskii, who was appointed on Thursday to replace outgoing Ukrainian military commander Gen. Valery Zarzhny.
The new presidential decree also named Yury Sodor, former commander of the Marine Corps of Ukraine, as the new commander of the Allied Forces of Ukraine. Brigadier General Ihor Skiviuk as commander of the Ukrainian Air Strike Force. Major General Ihor Plakhta was appointed as the commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine.
Incoming commander-in-chief Shirushkyi has indicated that immediate goals include improving troop rotation on the front lines and harnessing the power of new technology while Kiev’s forces are largely on the defensive.
In a statement on Telegram on Saturday, President Zelensky said he wanted to “reboot” the upper echelons of Ukraine’s military with experienced combat commanders.
“New responsibilities are now being taken on by people who are well known within the military and who themselves know what the military needs,” he said.
Russia launches missile and drone attacks on 6 regions of Ukrainehttps://t.co/WfNyAKycci
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