Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Kyiv, September 2023

Wednesday’s Coverage: Mourning in Poltava as Russia’s Missiles Kill 51+

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1645 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says the Kremlin has withdrawn more than 60,000 troops from its offensive in the Donetsk region in the east of the country, as Moscow faces the month-long Ukrainian incursion which has captured 500 square miles of the Kursk region in western Russia.

Zelenskiy said in an interview with the US outlet NBC News, “The idea and one of the goals of the Kursk Oblast (operation) was diverting Russian troops… to their territory. Today, I can say that they pulled over 60,000 troops there.”

Ukraine military commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said in late that Russia had diverted 30,000 troops.

At an economic forum in Vladivostok in eastern Russia, Vladimir Putin denied any redeployment, insisting that the Russian offensive in Donetsk was proceeding as planned.

UPDATE 1627 GMT:

Amid a Government reshuffle, Ukraine’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has approved the appointment of eight ministers.

Olha Stefanishyna, who had resigned on Wednesday, was re-appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for European integration, and she was named Justice Minister.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, Iryna Vereshchuk, whose resignation was approved with 255 votes in the 450-member chamber, will become deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.

UPDATE 1624 GMT:

As search and rescue operations concluded, the toll from Monday’s Russian missile attack on Poltava in central Ukraine stood at 55 killed, with 328 wounded (see 0719 GMT).

The bodies of the dead are being identified.

UPDATE 0955 GMT:

Ukraine’s Parliament has approved the resignations of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration Iryna Vereshchuk.

UPDATE 0900 GMT:

International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi says a cooling tower at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant will have to be demolished after a fire on August 12.

Grossi visited the plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, on Wednesday. He inspected areas including a pumping station and a fuel storage facility.

The IAEA has said it is unable to determine the cause of the fire.

UPDATE 0853 GMT:

At least two civilians were and 19 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours.

The two fatalities were in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, with 10 others wounded.

One person was killed and six injured during a strike on Kostiantynivka which damaged ten houses, an enterprise, shops, and other buildings and infrastructure. One person was killed in Kurakhove, three were injured in Toretsk, and one wounded in Pokrovsk.

There were also injuries in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kherson regions.

Ukraine air forces downed 60 of 78 Iran-type attacks drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Fifteeen were “lost” on Ukrainian territory, likely as a result of electronic warfare, and the other three returned to Russian or Belarusian airspace.

The Belarusian military confirmed the downing of a drone without giving its origin. The Belarusian Hajun monitoring group said two of the Shahed UAVs were intercepted.

Russia also launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile from occupied Crimea.

Air raid alerts sounded for 11 hours in the Kyiv region and more than nine hours in the capital.

Fallen debris damaged several houses in the region. No casualties were reported.

UPDATE 0719 GMT:

The death toll has risen to 54 from Russia’s double missile strike on Poltava in central Ukraine on Monday.

Another 297 people were wounded, and five more may still be under the rubble.

The Russians struck the Military Institute of Communications, partially destroying the building, and a neighboring medical facility.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has launched a reshuffle of his Cabinet, with seven ministers offering their resignations since Tuesday night.

Zelenskiy said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday that “new energy” in the government was needed: “These steps are only associated with strengthening our state in various sectors — international politics and diplomacy are no exception.”

The highest-profile departure was Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in office since 2020 and prominent in galvanizing international support for Ukraine’s resistance of Russia’s 30-month invasion.

After submitting his letter of resignation to Parliament, Kuleba posted about Russia’s latest deadly missile and drone attacks:

To put an end to this terror, Ukraine’s partners must promptly deliver the promised air defense systems and ammunition, as well as strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities and allow us to launch long-range strikes on all legitimate military targets in Russia….

Russia understands only one language: the language of strength. We must all take decisive action, show leadership, and be brave in order to put a fair end to Russian war and terror.

David Arakhamia, the Parliamentary head of Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People Party said Kuleba will be replaced by his top deputy, Andriy Sybiha.

A career diplomat, Sybiha was Ambassador to Turkey from 2016 to 2019 and deputy to Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak from 2021. In April, he was named Kuleba’s deputy.

The other resigning ministers included Deputy Prime Minister and Reintegration Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk; Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Olga Stefanishyna; Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin; Justice Minister Denys Maliuska; and Environment Minister Ruslan Strilets.

Divided Reaction in Parliament

Ukraine’s 450 MPs split over the reshuffle, with the
Verkhovna Rada approving three resignations, failing to obtain a majority for three others, and the vote on Kuleba still to come.

Critics said the President’s office, run by Yermak, is trying to consolidate its power. Yaroslav Zhelezniak, from the opposition Holos party, chided, “Everything will stay the same. There will be more people in the government loyal to Yermak. They are all loyal anyway.”

Oleksii Honcharenko, of the opposition European Solidarity Party, declared there will be no positive outcome because the government lacks general strategy and is “a department of the President’s Office”.

Oleksandr Merezhko of Zelensky’s Servant of the People Party responded, “The situation now is too serious, and to cope with the challenges, the government and the president need not only loyal, or rather reliable people, but also professional people.”

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelenskiy did not mention the reshuffle. Instead, he focused on Russia’s latest strikes and on Ukraine’s month-long incursion capturing almost 1,300 square km (500 square miles) of western Russia.

“It is very important that absolutely all the objectives set for our Kursk operation are being realized,” the President said.

He added that “important meetings with our partners” will be held this month over “air defense, our capabilities on the front, and reconstruction”.