Ukraine-Russia war – live: Three children among seven killed as Russian drone strikes petrol station
Ukrainian troops shot down the Russian aircraft in eastern Ukraine near the city of Avdiivka, Kyiv claimed
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At least seven people, including three children, have been killed overnight after a Russian drone hit a petrol station in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.
The strike caused a massive fire that burned down 15 private houses, while 50 people were evacuated as emergency workers tackled the blaze.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sacked army chief Valeriy Zaluzhny and replaced him with Oleksandr Syrsky.
It follows days of speculation that Zelensky was considering dismissing Zaluzhny, who is seen by many Ukrainians as a national hero for overseeing the war effort since February 2022.
“We discussed what renewal the Armed Forces of Ukraine need. We also discussed who could be in the renewed leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The time for this renewal is now,” Zelensky’s statement said on Telegram.
In other developments, Ukrainian troops have shot down a Russian attack helicopter in eastern Ukraine near the city of Avdiivka as soldiers step up street fighting, Kyiv claimed.
Meanwhile, Russian forces launched the second largest combined drone and missile strike on Ukraine this year with around 64 munitions hitting the country, according to a US think tank.
Russian drones targeted Odesa and Kharkiv overnight
The Ukrainian air force said air defence systems destroyed 23 out of 31 drones launched by Russia overnight.
The drones primarily targeted the north-eastern Kharkiv region and the southern province of Odesa, the statement said.
Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said four people were injured there by the overnight drone attacks.
The attacks came in three waves, he said. The first targeted the regional capital - the port city of Odesa. All nine drones were shot down, but the debris damaged port infrastructure and injured one person.
The second and the third waves targeted port infrastructure in the Danube river area, Mr Kiper said. A total of 12 drones were shot down and three people were injured.
Zelenksy appoints a new commander-in-chief – but will it help the war against Russia?
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is rapidly approaching its second anniversary – and the war is not going according to plan for either side.
In a major reset that Volodymyr Zelensky believes can change the trajectory of the conflict, he has sacked his commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhny. After a series of disagreements, the president has called for a “united approach across the whole front line and a new vision for the war, mobilisation and recruitment”.
It is a herculean task for his new chief, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, previously commander of ground forces, given the reality of the current phase of the war.
Read the full article from Orysia Lutsevych here
Zelenksy appoints a new commander-in-chief – but will it help the war against Russia?
Sacking his trusted commander could complicate a new wave of mobilisation that is about to start, says Orysia Lutsevych
Three children killed in Russian drone strike in Kharkiv
A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killed at least seven people overnight, including three children, their region governor Oleh Syniehubov has said.
A Iranian-made Shahed drone hit civilian infrastructure in the Nemyshlyan district on the city, causing a massive fire that burned down 15 private houses.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said more than 50 people had been evacuated and that emergency workers had contained the blaze by Saturday morning.
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Zelensky says he is preparing reset of senior Ukrainian leadership
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Patients travelling to Ukraine and pulling own teeth out amid NHS shortages, shadow health minister says
Patients going to Ukraine and pulling own teeth out amid NHS shortage, minister says
Patients are pulling their teeth out and Ukrainian refugees are flying back to the war-torn country for appointments amid a lack of NHS dentistry services, Wes Streeting has said. It comes after a seven-year-old Ukrainian girl and her mother flew to Poland and took a 15-hour bus across Ukraine for dental treatment because the NHS waiting list was so long. A British Dental Association survey of 500 UK dentists found that “DIY” dentistry is “rampant” - 82 per cent of respondents said they have treated patients who have taken matters into their own hands since lockdown. The BDA said “DIY dentistry” could be any form of DIY dental care, from a simple filling kit to an attempt at extraction.
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