Russian strikes kill four in Ukraine

Ukrainian president says plans to replace PM Svyrydenko

KYIV:

Russia fired a wave of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.

The strikes came a day before Ukraine's allies were set to meet in Paris for talks on pressuring Russia to end its more than four-year war.

Ukraine's air defences have come under strain from repeated Russian ballistic missile strikes in recent weeks.

The United States this week gave Ukraine permission to build US-designed Patriot air defence systems capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, but it may be months before they enter production.

Three people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region overnight, including two in a strike on an "industrial enterprise" in the city of Kryvyi Rig, regional officials said.

A separate drone attack on the southern city of Kherson killed a 48-year-old, mayor Yaroslav Shanko reported.

Govt reshuffle

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he planned to replace Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after only a year in office, triggering the resignation ?of the government.

Zelenskiy did not specify who he would ask to lead the government or what Svyrydenko's new position would be, but added that there would also be changes among the heads of law enforcement agencies.

He said the changes were needed to "ensure the implementation of an updated political strategy", but gave no further details.

"I am grateful to Yuliia for her clear, steady, and effective work as prime minister, for her years of productive service on Ukraine's team, and I have offered her the opportunity to lead a new and important area of relations with a key partner," Zelenskiy said on X.

"I expect that, together with MPs, we will make the corresponding changes in the Government of Ukraine."

Ukraine dealing with corruption scandals

Svyrydenko, an economist, was appointed in July 2025 after a year as deputy head of Zelenskiy's office and then four years as deputy prime minister responsible for economic development and trade.

Zelenskiy also did not explain the reasons for the proposed changes among law enforcement leaders.

Over the past year, Ukraine has been shaken by its largest corruption scandal, which ?led to the resignation of the influential head of the presidential administration.

The so-called Midas case, which authorities say involved a $100 million kicakback scheme at the state nuclear power company Energoatom, has engulfed figures close to Zelenskiy and cast a shadow over the government at a time when Kyiv wants to show Western allies that it can tackle high-level corruption.