Ukraine's Zelensky appoints new commander of land forces
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy looks on during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, in Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Amber Bracken/File Photo
KYIV - President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday appointed Hennadiy Shapovalov commander of Ukraine's land forces, replacing a commander who resigned over a Russian strike on a training area.
Shapovalov, whose appointment was announced in a presidential decree, had previously acted as a liaison at a Nato coordination centre in Germany. Before that, he had served as commander of the forces of the Operational Command "south".
Shapovalov takes over as head of land forces from Mykhailo Drapatyi, who tendered his resignation this month after a deadly Russian strike on a training camp in southeastern Ukraine.
Zelensky reassigned Drapatyi to the post of commander of joint forces as part of a military shakeup. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
31 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Australia shuts down Tehran embassy as Iran-Israel conflict escalates
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia Penny Wong addresses the \"Summit of the Future\" in the General Assembly hall at United Nations headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo SYDNEY - Australia said on Friday it had suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran, citing "a deteriorating security environment" as Israel hit Iran's nuclear facilities again, and the week-old air war showed no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. Israel launched a sweeping aerial campaign against Iran last Friday, calling it a preemptive strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied any such plans and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. "The Australian government has directed the departure of all Australian officials and dependents ... based on advice about the deteriorating security environment in Iran," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement. Consular staff are being deployed to neighbouring Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran, Wong said. "We remain in close contact with other partner countries. At this stage, our ability to provide consular services is extremely limited due to the situation on the ground. The airspace remains closed," she added. Australia's ambassador to Iran, Ian McConville, would remain in the region to support the government's response, Wong said. More than 1,500 Australians and their families in Iran have sought assistance to leave the country, official data showed. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 20, 2025
US President Donald Trump said in a statement that he wanted to give negotiations a chance. PHOTO: NYTIMES While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 20, 2025 Trump to decide on action in Israel-Iran conflict within 2 weeks President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran air war, the White House said on June 19, raising pressure on Tehran to come to the negotiating table. Citing a message from Mr Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.' The Republican president has kept the world guessing on his plans, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting the US might join the fighting on Israel's side. On June 18, he said nobody knew what he would do. A day earlier he mused on social media about killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, then demanded Iran's unconditional surrender. READ MORE HERE Iran held direct talks with US amid intensifying conflict Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis, three diplomats told Reuters. According to the diplomats, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, Mr Araqchi said Tehran would not return to negotiations unless Israel stopped the attacks, which began on June 13. They said the talks included a brief discussion of a US proposal given to Iran at the end of May that aims to create a regional consortium that would enrich uranium outside of Iran, an offer Tehran has so far rejected. READ MORE HERE 4 people taken to hospital after fire in Holland Close flat Two people and two firefighters were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in an HDB flat in Holland Close on the evening of June 19. Firefighters from Alexandra Fire Station responded to the fire at Block 5 at around 7.25pm, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in a Facebook post. One of the bedrooms in a 23rd-floor unit was on fire, which was extinguished with two water jets. As a result of the fire, the rest of the unit also suffered heat and smoke damage. READ MORE HERE Chinese student gets life for 'campaign of rape' in UK, China Zhenhao Zou will spend a minimum of 22 years in jail after being convicted of drugging and raping 10 women in the UK and China. PHOTOS: AFP, METROPOLITAN POLICE A Chinese post-graduate student convicted of drugging and raping 10 women in the United Kingdom and China, and suspected of having attacked more, was on June 19 jailed for life by a London court. London police say they have evidence to suggest he could have targeted more than 50 other women. Serial rapist Zhenhao Zou, 28 – described in court as 'calculated and predatory' – targeted young Chinese women who he invited to his London flat for drinks or to study before drugging and attacking them. READ MORE HERE French Open winner Gauff falls at first hurdle on Berlin grass Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on June 19, as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals in 2024, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. READ MORE HERE Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israel says Iran fired cluster bomb-bearing missile
Iran fired at least one missile at Israel that scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties, the Israeli military said on Thursday, the first reported use of cluster munitions in the seven-day-old war. Israeli military officials provided no further details. Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile's warhead split open at an altitude of about 4 miles (7 km) and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of around 5 miles (8 km) over central Israel. One of the small munitions struck a home in the central Israeli town of Azor, causing some damage, Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian reported. There were no reports of casualties from the bomb. Cluster bombs are controversial because they indiscriminately scatter submunitions, some of which can fail to explode and kill or injure long after a conflict ends. The Israeli military released a graphic as a public warning of the dangers of unexploded ordnance. 'The terror regime seeks to harm civilians and even used weapons with wide dispersal in order to maximize the scope of the damage,' Israel's military spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, told a briefing. Iran's mission to the United Nations and Israel's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "They are egregious weapons with their wide-area destruction, especially if used in a civilian populated area and could add to the unexploded ordnance left over from conflicts," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group. Noting that Iranian missiles can be imprecise, he said that Tehran should know that cluster munitions "are going to hit civilian targets rather than military targets." Iran and Israel declined to join a 2008 international ban on the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of cluster bombs that has been signed by 111 countries and 12 other entities. After extensive debate, the U.S. in 2023 supplied Ukraine with cluster munitions for use against Russian occupation forces. Kyiv says Russian troops also have fired them. The three countries declined to join the Convention Against Cluster Munitions. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
