Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tendered his resignation on Wednesday, part of the biggest government reshuffle of the 30-month war against Russia.
More resignations and appointments are expected over the coming days after five ministers stepped down on Tuesday, in what a senior ally of president Volodymyr Zelenskiy cast as the start of a government “reset” ahead of the winter.
Mr Kuleba’s resignation letter was posted on Facebook by the speaker of parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The speaker said legislators would shortly discuss the request. Parliament expects to vote on the resignations later on Wednesday in what is usually a political formality.
Mr Zelenskiy has said changes to the government, which come at a crucial juncture in the full-scale conflict, are necessary to strengthen it and achieve results needed by Ukraine.
“Autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions should be configured so that Ukraine achieves all the results that we need – for all of us,” he said on Tuesday.
Russian forces are advancing in the east of Ukraine, Ukrainian troops have made a bold incursion into Russia’s Kursk region and Moscow has intensified drone and missile attacks in recent weeks.
David Arakhamia, a senior lawmaker for Mr Zelenskiy’s party, said on Tuesday there would be a “major government reset” that would see more than half of the ministers change.
Russia launched missiles and drones on Kyiv and the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, not far from the border with Nato-member Poland, Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday.
This comes just a day after Russia hit a military institute in Ukraine’s central town of Poltava in the war’s deadliest single attack this year, killing at least 51 and wounding hundreds more.
Mr Zelenskiy said in a video that Russian forces struck with two ballistic missiles, damaging a building of the Military Institute of Communications.
On Wednesday, Reuters witnesses heard several blasts on the outskirts of Kyiv and Lviv in what sounded like air defence systems in operation. Ukraine’s military officials said its defence units were engaged in repelling the attacks.
“Yes, it’s very loud,” Lviv Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi said on the Telegram messaging app. Residential buildings have been damaged in the city of Lviv, which is the administrative centre of the broader region, Mr Kozytskyi added.
Neighbouring Poland activated aircraft on Wednesday for the third time in eight days to ensure the safety of Polish airspace.
“This is another very busy night for the entire air defence system in Poland due to the observed activity of the long-range aviation of the Russian Federation carrying out strikes,” the Polish military said on X.
Russia has been pounding Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones in the past 10 days in what some Russian military bloggers say is Moscow's response to Kyiv's recent incursion into Russian territory.
Russia is yet to comment on the attacks on Poltava and Wednesday strikes on Lviv and Kyiv.
The whole of Ukraine was put under air raid alerts, Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram. It also issued threat warnings of fresh attacks on the Lviv region, involving missiles.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has travelled to Kyiv to meet Mr Zelenskiy, where he is to pledge €36 million in funding to support humanitarian organisations working in Ukraine, as well as signing an agreement pledging ongoing support to the country over the coming years. – Reuters