KYIV, Ukraine — Six Ukrainian deputy protection ministers have been fired Monday following the dismissal two weeks in the past of Protection Minister Oleksii Reznikov in a corruption scandal, officers stated, as heavy combating continued within the east.
Russia claimed to have struck key Ukrainian amenities in air assaults in a single day, hitting shops of Storm Shadow missiles and depleted uranium ammunition together with digital intelligence facilities and coaching amenities for Ukrainian army scouts.
The deputy protection ministers fired included Hanna Maliar, Vitalii Deyneha and Denys Sharapov, in addition to the state secretary of the Ministry of Protection, Kostiantyn Vashchenko, have been fired, in response to the Telegram account of Taras Melnychuk, everlasting consultant of the Cupboard of Ministers.
Melnychuk offered no clarification of the firings, however the authorities has been investigating accusations of corruption within the army associated to buying tools. Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker who took over as protection minister, didn’t instantly challenge a press release.
Reznikov was eliminated earlier this month after a scandal involving the protection ministry’s procurement of army jackets at 3 times their value. Reznikov denied the allegations however resigned.
The reshuffling of the division got here a day after Ukraine’s army stated it captured the village of Klishchiivka from Russian troops after months of fierce battles. Preventing continued Monday as troops tried to carry the village south of the Russian-held metropolis of Bakhmut within the japanese Donetsk area.
Its recapture adopted the retaking of the close by village of Andriivka.
“The enemy is attempting with all his may to regain misplaced positions,” Maliar stated in a briefing Monday earlier than she was fired. “Due to this fact, our fighters maintain again the enemy’s assaults there and are entrenched on the achieved frontiers.”
Retaking Klishchiivka is taken into account tactically essential, permitting Ukrainian forces to additional prolong their positive factors round Bakhmut.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February final yr. Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June that thus far has been marked by small victories however no main breakthroughs. Regardless of being bolstered by NATO-standard weapons value billions of {dollars}, Ukrainian army officers have stated there are not any fast options to puncture Russian defensive traces — solely gradual, grinding battles which have led to heavy losses.
In his efforts to attract extra help, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is headed to the U.S. the place he’s anticipated on the White Home and on Capitol Hill this week as he visits in the course of the United Nations Basic Meeting. His go to to Washington comes as Congress debates President Joe Biden’s request to offer as a lot as $24 billion in army and humanitarian support for Ukraine.
In different combating, six civilians have been killed and 16 injured over the previous 24 hours as Russia claimed to have used long-range air-launched missiles and drones to strike U.Ok.-supplied missiles and depleted uranium ammunition that can be utilized to destroy tanks.
“The objective of the strike has been fulfilled, all of the designated amenities have been struck,” the ministry stated with out offering specifics.
The claims appeared to contradict Ukraine’s assertion that it intercepted all 17 cruise missiles launched by Russia and 18 of 24 Shahed drones within the southern areas of Mykolaiv and Odesa early Monday. There was no approach to confirm the conflicting claims.
Russians attacked residential areas in eight cities and villages within the Donetsk area, together with Avdiivka and Kurdiumivka, killing one and wounding 4, it stated. 5 artillery assaults in Kherson killed one individual and wounded one other. Within the close by city of Beryslav, Russians dropped explosives from a drone close to the native bus station, injuring 4 folks, the presidential workplace stated.
Oleh Kiper, regional governor of Odesa, stated a leisure facility within the city of Vylkovo was broken within the assault however no casualties have been instantly reported. Vylkovo, sometimes called the “Ukrainian Venice” due to its quite a few canals, is situated within the Danube delta on the border with Romania.
Romania has not too long ago reported a number of findings of fragments from drones much like these utilized by Russia in assaults on Ukraine’s ports on the opposite aspect of the Danube.
Neighboring Bulgaria on Monday stated a specialist navy crew carried out a “managed explosion” of a mortar shell discovered hooked up to a drone within the Black Sea coastal space of Tyulenovo.
Bulgaria’s Protection Minister Todor Tagarev stated it wasn’t clear when or how the drone ended up there, however stated it almost certainly was carried by the ocean to the coastal city located about 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) south of the Romanian border.
“I’ve not been knowledgeable that our air protection system has detected such an object, however they’re tough to find,” Tagarev stated. “Such incidents occur weekly, the Bulgarian military has groups to find and destroy unexploded ordnance.”
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Related Press writers Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia; Stephen McGrath in Sighisoara, Romania, and Brian Melley in London contributed.
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Comply with AP’s protection of the battle in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine