Fresh Russian Bombardment of Ukraine’s Capital Kills at Least 3 People, Wounds Others

A local resident crosses the Siversky Donets River on a destroyed bridge in Bohorodychne village, Donetsk region, Ukraine, 30 May 2023 (issued 31 May 2023). EPA/OLEG PETRASYUK
A local resident crosses the Siversky Donets River on a destroyed bridge in Bohorodychne village, Donetsk region, Ukraine, 30 May 2023 (issued 31 May 2023). EPA/OLEG PETRASYUK
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Fresh Russian Bombardment of Ukraine’s Capital Kills at Least 3 People, Wounds Others

A local resident crosses the Siversky Donets River on a destroyed bridge in Bohorodychne village, Donetsk region, Ukraine, 30 May 2023 (issued 31 May 2023). EPA/OLEG PETRASYUK
A local resident crosses the Siversky Donets River on a destroyed bridge in Bohorodychne village, Donetsk region, Ukraine, 30 May 2023 (issued 31 May 2023). EPA/OLEG PETRASYUK

Russian forces began June with a fresh aerial bombardment of Kyiv on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding others, authorities said.

Following up on a reported 17 attacks on the Ukrainian capital in May, mostly using drones, Russian forces hit the capital in the early morning with ground-launched missiles, damaging apartment buildings, a medical clinic, a water pipeline and a car, The Associated Press said.

Kyiv City Administration reported three people were killed, two children among them, and 10 people were wounded. The casualty toll was the most from one attack on Kyiv in the past month.

After a woman was killed watching an aerial attack from her balcony earlier this week, Kyiv authorities urged residents to heed warning sirens and stay in shelters or other safe locations.

Ukraine’s air defenses have become increasingly effective at intercepting Russian drones and missiles, but the resulting debris sometimes causes fires and injuries in buildings and on the ground. Preliminary indications were that Kyiv’s air defenses intercepted all incoming weapons early Thursday, and that the latest deaths and injuries were caused by falling debris.

In Desnianskyi district, the debris fell on a hospital and a nearby multistory building. In another district, Dniprovskyi, a residential building was damaged by debris, parked cars caught fire, and debris fell onto the roadway.

On Wednesday, Russian forces carried out three aerial attacks over the south of Kherson region, along with missile and heavy artillery strikes on other parts of the region.



Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Names New Land Forces Chief, Says Changes Needed

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Names New Land Forces Chief, Says Changes Needed

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy replaced the commander of the military's land forces on Friday, putting Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi in charge, as Russia notches up gains in the east and Kyiv's troops face manpower shortages.

Zelenskiy said "internal changes" were needed as he announced the 42-year-old would replace Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, who took the helm of the land forces in a major shake-up in February 2024.

"The main task is to increase noticeably the combat efficiency of our army, ensure the quality of servicemen training, and introduce innovative approaches to people management in Ukraine's Armed Forces," Zelenskiy said.

"The Ukrainian army needs internal changes to achieve our state's goals in full," he said on Telegram after meeting his top military and government officials.

Drapatyi is well respected in the army and military analysts praised his appointment. Drapatyi took command of the Kharkiv front in May and managed to stop the Russian offensive in the northeast, stabilizing the front.

Zelenskiy also said that he appointed Colonel Oleh Apostol, commander of the 95th separate air-assault brigade, as a deputy to army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

He praised both Drapatyi and Apostol, saying "they had proved their efficiency on the battlefield".

Ukraine is on the back foot on the battlefield as it fights a much bigger and better-equipped enemy 33 months after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Russian forces are steadily advancing in the eastern Donetsk region. Syrskyi, the army chief, said on Friday he would strengthen troops deployed on the eastern front with reserves, ammunition, and equipment as he visited two key Ukrainian-held sites in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine has also lost about 40% of the territory it captured in Russia's Kursk region in a surprise incursion in August, as Russian forces have mounted waves of counter-assaults.

The head of the land forces oversees mobilization efforts during the war.

Military analysts say Ukraine's military is experiencing manpower shortages, making it harder to rotate troops out of the more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of frontline or to build up reserve forces.