Russia launches 45 drones in a mass barrage from Ukraine as Kiev continues its war reshuffle

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched 45 drones over Ukraine on Sunday in a barrage that lasted five and a half hours, officials said, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued a reshuffle of his war cabinet. the war Entering its third year.

The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that it shot down 40 Iranian-made Shahed drones over nine different regions, including on the outskirts of the capital, Kiev.

Ukrainian Southern Defense Forces officials wrote in a telegram that the attack, which lasted five and a half hours, targeted agricultural facilities and coastal infrastructure. They said that an air strike in the Mykolaiv region injured one person, causing a fire and damage to nearby residential buildings.

Another person was injured in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region when a fire broke out due to falling debris from a destroyed drone, said Serhiy Lysak, head of the region's military administration. Moldova's border police also said on Sunday that fragments of a “witness-type drone” had been found near the southern town of Itolia, close to the border with Ukraine, but that the wreckage did not pose any danger to nearby communities. “There is suspicion that the drone debris discovered is one of the drones shot down by the Ukrainian anti-aircraft system,” the border police said in a statement. The night attacks began on Friday Russian forces in the Izmail region of Ukraine. The distance between Aetolia and Ismael is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) as the crow flies. Authorities said access to the impact site was restricted. Moldova's President Maia Sandu responded to the incident by saying in a post on the social media platform X, “Russia's war on Ukraine hits close to home in Moldova – again.” “The discovery of the wreckage of a witness drone in southern Moldova today is another stark reminder of the grim reality we face,” she said. Russian aggression puts the entire continent at risk. Support for Ukraine must continue.”

The strikes come as Zelensky continues to change military commanders in an attempt to maintain momentum against the attacking Russian forces.

Kiev announced Sunday that former Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Alexander Pavlyuk will become the new commander of Ukraine's ground forces. This position was previously held by him Colonel-General Oleksandr SirskyWho was appointed on Thursday to succeed the outgoing Ukrainian military commander, General Valery Zalozhny.

New presidential decrees also appointed Yuri Sudol, former head of the Ukrainian Marine Corps, as the new commander of the Ukrainian Joint Forces. Dean. General Ihor Skipyuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces; Major General Ihor Plahota as Commander of the Regional Defense Forces of Ukraine.

New Supreme Commander Sirsky has indicated that his immediate goals include improving front-line troop rotation and harnessing the power of new technology at a time when Kiev's forces are largely on the defensive.

Starlink concerns

Ukrainian military intelligence said on Sunday that attacking Russian forces were found using Starlink terminals to assist in their attack. It published what it said was a recording of an intercepted conversation between two Russian soldiers as evidence.

The Starlink terminals, which use a series of satellites operated by Elon Musk's Space

However, multiple reports of Russian forces using Starlink on the front line in occupied Ukraine have begun to appear in Ukrainian media in recent weeks.

They prompted Space

However, components of Western technology are regularly found within Russia's arsenal, as Moscow has become more adept at evading sanctions, often importing goods via third countries.

In a statement on the Telegram app on Saturday, Zelensky said he hoped to “restart” the upper echelons of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with experienced combat commanders.

“Now, well-known people in the army who themselves know well what the army needs are taking on new responsibilities,” he said. ___

Associated Press writer Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania, contributed to this report.