Ukraine's PM

By André Ballin and Andreas Stein
dpa

Ukraine’s PM

Kiev (dpa) — Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Tuesday handed in his resignation after more than five years in office.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that he was proposing Shmyhal’s deputy, Yulia Svyrydenko, to lead a new government.

“I thank our defenders, who are holding the line and protecting Ukraine,” Shmyhal said in a post on Telegram announcing his resignation.

He also thanked Zelensky for his “trust” and his team for their “tireless work.”

Shmyhal is set to replace Rustem Umyerov as defence minister, with the latter due to take over as ambassador to Washington.

The 49-year-old Shmyhal had served as prime minister since March 2020, well before the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022.

He was the longest-serving prime minister in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history. The reasons for the reshuffle have not been announced.

Under Ukraine’s constitution, his replacement must be formally nominated by parliament.

Ukraine extends martial law

Also on Tuesday, Ukraine’s parliament voted to extend martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, continuing wartime measures as the country fights off Russia.

According to lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak, 320 members of parliament supported the extension with just one vote against. The measure will take effect on August 7 and remain in place until November 5, he wrote on Telegram.

Ukrainian media noted that this marks the 16th extension of martial law since it was first introduced in February 2022, following Russia’s invasion. The most recent renewal was approved in mid-April.

Under martial law, both presidential and parliamentary elections remain suspended. Military-age men between 18 and 60 are also barred from leaving the country, except under exceptional circumstances.

Drone debris leaves 16 injured in Russia’s Voronezh

Earlier, Russian authorities said at least 16 people were injured by falling drone debris in the western city of Voronezh.

Governor Alexander Gusev said most of the cases involved cuts and shrapnel wounds.

“But there are also injuries of a different nature and serious cases,” he added in a post on Telegram. “One man is in a coma, another has a lung injury.”

Several flats in apartment buildings in the city centre were hit, as well as single-family homes in a suburb.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported the downing of a total of 55 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.

Most were intercepted over the border region of Belgorod, while 12 drones were hit over the Voronezh region.

Kiev is launching drones deep into the Russian interior in a bid to turn the tide on Moscow.

But the extent of the damage and the number of victims reported are far lower than the destruction caused by Russian attacks in Ukraine.