In a recent development, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, has fired the director of the organisation overseeing his personal security, Serhiy Rud. The decision comes in the aftermath of allegations against two members of the state guards that included plans for an assassination attempt on Zelenskiy. The president has yet to appoint a replacement.
Meanwhile, in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has confirmed Mikhail Mishustin will continue as Russia’s prime minister. Parliamentary discussions regarding Mishustin’s candidacy are next on the State Duma’s agenda, according to the Associated Press. His reappointment is widely seen as a formality within Putin’s dominant parliament.
As per Russia’s constitution, 58-year-old Mishustin, who has served in his current role for the previous four years, tendered his Cabinet’s resignation earlier this week upon Putin’s commencement of his fifth term in office as president. Despite leading the tax service previously, Mishustin has mainly kept out of the political spotlight and shunned media interactions.
News rolled in early Friday about Ukraine successfully intercepting and annihilating all ten Russian drones that were part of a nocturnal attack in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Unfortunately, two individuals sustained wounds and several residential buildings were engulfed in flames ensuing the raid, as reported by Ukrainian authorities.
According to Reuters, a Russian missile onslaught on Kharkiv resulted in injuries to two individuals and led to three residential properties catching fire in the early hours of Friday. The city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, reported that an S-300 missile had caused substantial damage to 26 structures, with two being obliterated in the process, though it was not disclosed the type of the buildings affected.
Ukrainian authorities further announced that Russia had shot two S-300/S-400 missiles towards the region overnight, with the landing spot of the second being currently unknown. In the town of Derhachi, located near the Russian border, a separate guided bomb attack resulted in damage to nearly 25 structures after making impact near an infrastructure facility, an official reported.
On a broader view, Russian assaults throughout Ukraine have been responsible for two deaths and 13 injuries over the last 24 hours, as stated by local officials. Civilian casualties have been reported from Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Donetsk provinces.