Nine dead as Russia and Ukraine exchange strikes
· RTE.ieRussia fired a wave of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing four people, while Ukrainian strikes on Russia and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine killed five, officials said.
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.
US-led diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have stalled in recent months, as Washington has shifted focus to its war with Iran.
Moscow has meanwhile escalated its campaign of ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine, killing dozens of people including in the capital Kyiv since July.
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.
Ukrainian strikes on the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region meanwhile left four dead, while a long-range Ukrainian drone strike killed a man in Russia's Samara region, officials said.
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.
Ukrainian government reshuffle
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had proposed replacing Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
"I am grateful to Yulia 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," Mr Zelensky said on X.
"I expect that, together with MPs, we will make the corresponding changes in the government of Ukraine," he added.
Mr Zelensky said the government changes were needed to "ensure the implementation of an updated political strategy", but gave no further details.
Ms Svyrydenko was appointed in July 2025.
Mr Zelensky did not specify Ms Svyrydenko's new position or the name of her successor, but added that there would also be changes among the heads of law enforcement agencies.
Opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak said Ms Svyrydenko was likely to take up the post of ambassador to the United States.
"That means she will leave the post of prime minister and the entire government will be reshuffled," Mr Zhelezniak said on Telegram.
Under Ukrainian law, the prime minister's resignation needs the approval of parliament, and entails the resignation of the entire government.
MPs say possible successors include Ms Svyrydenko's predecessor, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal; Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov; and Serhiy Koretskyi, head of the state energy company, Naftogaz.