
Ukraine's new PM takes charge of narrower cabinet of Zelensky loyalists
Zelensky had been expressing his desire for change for more than a year, saying he was "tired" of the outgoing prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, who had held office since 2020, a record for longevity in Ukraine. Weapons production is to be one of Svyrydenko's immediate priorities. Zelensky announced Shmyal would oversee the Ministry of Defense, now merged with the Ministry of Strategic Industries (armaments). Shmyhal, the former right-hand man to Rinat Akhmetov, one of Ukraine's wealthiest oligarchs, is also an experienced executive.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
14 hours ago
- France 24
Ukraine proposes fresh peace talks with Russia next week
Two rounds of talks in Istanbul between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to result in any progress towards a ceasefire, instead yielding large-scale prisoner exchanges and deals to return the bodies of killed soldiers. "Security Council Secretary Umerov... reported that he had proposed the next meeting with the Russian side for next week," Zelensky said in his evening address. "The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up," he added. Zelensky reiterated his readiness to have a face-to-face sitdown with Putin. "A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace – lasting peace," he said. At talks last month, Russia outlined a list of hardline demands, including calls for Ukraine to cede more territory and to reject all forms of Western military support. Kyiv dismissed them as unacceptable and at the time questioned the point of further negotiations if Moscow was not willing to make concessions. The Kremlin said earlier this month it was ready to continue talks with Ukraine after US President Donald Trump gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal or face sanctions. Trump also pledged to supply Kyiv with new military aid, sponsored by NATO allies, as its cities suffer ever-increasing Russian aerial attacks. Russian strikes kill three Russia has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over recent months, defying Trump's warning. Most lately on Saturday, it had fired missile and drone strikes that killed three people across Ukraine. Two people died after a Russian missile hit Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub, into which Russia's forces have recently advanced. An earlier Russian salvo of 20 drones on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed at least one person overnight. Russia had to suspend trains for about four hours overnight, causing extensive delays in the southern Rostov region, when it came under a Ukrainian drone attack that wounded one railway worker. Moscow and Kyiv are menacing each other with swarms of cheap drones to overwhelm each other's air defence, as the warring sides said on Saturday they had intercepted hundreds of drones, now launched in large amounts almost daily. As part of the Istanbul agreements, Kyiv received 1,000 soldiers' bodies on Thursday, while Russia said it had received 19 from Ukraine. The European Union on Friday agreed an 18th package of sanctions on Moscow that targets Russian banks and lowers a price cap on oil exports, in a bid to curb its ability to fund the war.

LeMonde
15 hours ago
- LeMonde
Le Monde - retour à la une How the Russian and Ukrainian front lines are shifting
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the front lines of the war have never stopped shifting. These transformations have first and foremost been geographical, with advances, retreats and the stabilization of specific areas. They have also been morphological and technological. The front has hardened significantly: individual positions have gradually become entrenched, resulting in a complex network of trenches, bunkers, anti-tank ditches and minefields. However, this kind of positional warfare is not a return to the past: It is even undergoing a technological revolution. Drones – whether used for reconnaissance, bombing or as kamikaze units – have become omnipresent, transforming the tactics, tempo and organization of the battlefield. World War in Ukraine By Victoria Denys, Emmanuel Grynszpan, Flavie Holzinger, Xemartin Laborde, Riccardo Pravettoni and Victor Simonnet This illustration is not intended to faithfully recreate the full complexity of the Ukrainian front line, which varies between locations and is constantly changing. Instead, it provides a general overview, helping readers to understand the diversity of equipment, situations and operating methods used on the front. THE RUSSIAN SIDE The reign of drones and the 'kill zone' The presence of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield has continued to intensify and become more complex. Drones are the key weapon in this war, and they have redefined how forces defend, attack, monitor and target their enemies. On both sides of the front, 90% of casualties have been caused by drone strikes. New types of drones have appeared, with specialized uses: hunting other drones, carrying out ultra-precise strikes against enemy artillery (artillery being the most difficult piece of equipment for the Russian defense industry to produce), etc. The two main uses of attack drones are to rush directly at their target (i.e. FPV drones) or to bomb them using onboard munitions. Artificial intelligence already enables them to conduct autonomous "swarm" attacks and helps identify targets. The range of attack drones has continually increased, and now reaches several dozen kilometers. "Mother drones," which carry multiple smaller drones, have begun to appear, and they can double or triple their operational range. This has expanded the "kill zone," the stretch of territory in which any movement is immediately spotted and struck, on both sides of the front, making assaults, defense and logistics increasingly difficult for dozens of kilometers. Leaving or reaching a position, resupplying, or even evacuating the wounded has become extremely dangerous. Military experts have predicted that the "kill zone" will continue to expand, eventually reaching 100 kilometers in width. The 'kill zone' New arsenal: Widespread robotization Ukrainian forces, on the defensive, have been subjected to barrages of FPV drones. Russia's widespread use of fiber optic cable drones has rendered radio jamming devices ineffective, as they are designed to neutralize radio-controlled drones. To protect themselves from these cable-equipped drones, which transmit high quality images, they have had to set up netting, and, as a last resort, use shotguns to shoot down the loitering munitions. As a result, fortifications, artillery and trenches have been systematically covered with camouflage netting. To reduce losses incurred during troop movements, Ukrainian forces have very rapidly developed ground drones to address their logistical challenges. These drones can resupply positions and evacuate the wounded. They can also be used offensively, to lay mines or even to carry out kamikaze strikes against enemy positions. THE UKRAINIAN SIDE A Russian countermeasure: using off-road motorcycles to attack through the 'kill zone' Nicknamed the 21st century "dragoons," in reference to historical military units that traveled on horseback but fought on foot, Russian infantry have, since the autumn of 2024, refined a new assault tactic: rapidly advancing on Ukrainian positions using off-road motorcycles. This has come as a countermeasure to the widespread use of drones by Ukrainian defenders. Over the past two years, drones have destroyed much of Russia's fleet of armored vehicles, which were previously their army's preferred means of transporting infantry for assaults. Drones have made approaching defensive positions extremely dangerous: No matter if the maneuver is mechanized or not, and regardless of how thick a vehicle's armor is, they threaten any kind of movement across the battlefield. Russian forces have found that the speed and maneuverability of off-road motorcycles make them harder to hit than slow, large targets, such as armored vehicles. They also give Ukrainian defenders less time to react to assaults once they are detected. The typical structure of a motorcycle assault group consists of six to eight motorcycles, with one or two soldiers per vehicle. Once they are within firing range of the targeted Ukrainian position, the riders dismount from their bikes to begin the actual attack, often striking from two or three flanks at once. Sources: ISW; Reuters; Le Monde Texts and research: Emmanuel Grynszpan and Flavie Holzinger Illustration: Victoria Denys Cartography: Xemartin Laborde Web development: Victor Simonnet Coordination: Riccardo Pravettoni English version: Zorro Maplestone


Euronews
21 hours ago
- Euronews
One person killed as Russia pounds Ukraine with 300 drones
Russia launched more than 300 drones and over 30 missiles towards different cities in Ukraine overnight into Saturday morning, killing at least one person and injuring several others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. "Rescue operations are underway following the attack: the Donetsk, Kirovohrad, Dnipro, Sumy, Kherson, Volyn, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Zhytomyr regions were affected," he wrote on X. The Black Sea port city of Odesa came under fire by 20 drones and a missile, the city's mayor Hennadii Trukhanov, said Saturday on Telegram. The strike sparked a fire in an apartment block. Five people were rescued from their burning apartments, including one woman who died after she was rescued. At least six other people, including a child, were injured. Meanwhile in Sumy, critical infrastructure was damaged and thousands of families were left without electricity, according to Zelenskyy. Russia also launched a barrage of drones at Pavlohrad, damaging critical infrastructure and a residential building. According to the head of the Dnipro regional military administration, it was the largest attack on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian president thanked international leaders 'who understand how crucial it is to promptly implement our agreements' aimed at boosting Ukraine's defense capabilities, including joint weapons production, investment in drone manufacturing and the supply of air defence systems. In recent weeks, Russia has been intensifying its long-range attacks on Ukraine, often firing more drones in a single night than it did during some months in 2024. Analysts have warned the attacks are likely to escalate further. On 8 July, Russia fired a record-breaking number of more than 741 drones and missiles. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 71 Ukrainian drones overnight, of which 13 drones were shot down as they approached Moscow, according to the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin.