Thursday, September 5

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Rescuers work amid rubble at the site of a Russian missile strike on Sept. 4, 2024 in Lviv, Ukraine. The attack killed at least seven civilians and injured 64. (Mykola Tys/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Casualties reported in Lviv, Kryvyi Rih as Russia launches another mass attack on Ukraine. At least seven civilians were killed and 64 wounded in Lviv in the early hours of Sept. 4 amid Russia’s attack against Ukraine, regional authorities reported. Children were among the casualties.

FM Kuleba submits letter of resignation. A number of other high-profile ministers submitted their letters of resignation the previous day.

Kuleba resignation, reshuffle ‘expected long ago ahead of difficult times’ for Ukraine, lawmaker says. The reshuffle comes amid an uptick in Russian missile strikes on cities across Ukraine in recent weeks, and a worsening energy crisis.

Parliament backs resignations of deputy PM, ministers of strategic industries, justice, and ecology. During other voting sessions the same day, the parliament failed to gather enough votes to support the resignation of State Property Fund head Vitalii Koval and Deputy Prime Minister and Reintegration Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Ukraine ‘needs new energy,’ Zelensky says of government reshuffle. “We need new energy today. And these steps (reshuffle) are only related to strengthening our state in various sectors. International politics and diplomacy are no exception,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said a reshuffle of his government continues.

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Irish PM arrives in Kyiv for talks with Zelensky. The two leaders are expected to sign a support and cooperation agreement between Ireland and Ukraine, the Irish government said in a press release.

Ukraine, Ireland sign agreement on cooperation, support. As part of the deal, Ireland has pledged an additional 128 million euros ($140 million) in non-lethal military support and at least 40 million euros ($44 million) in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

Kyiv reduces state debt by $9 billion after restructuring effort. According to the Finance Ministry, the savings represent “one of the largest debt write-offs in recent sovereign debt restructurings.”

Ukrainian military uses ‘dragon drones’ against Russia, Defense Ministry says. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry published new footage resembling a video shared by Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels just a few days prior. The video showed what appeared to be a drone raining down fiery, white-hot metal on unseen soldiers hidden in a tree line.

Ukraine expects pressure from IMF to further devalue currency as financing negotiations begin. If the fifth review of revisions of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program is approved, Ukraine could receive an additional $1.1 billion disbursement.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine reshuffles its government: Who’s out, who’s in, and what it all means

While lawmakers and political analysts close to the president say the reshuffle is a way of bringing “new energy” to a tired government apparatus, those critical of Zelensky say it’s more about the President’s Office, run by Andriy Yermak, willing to consolidate power even more.

Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: At least 7 killed, over 70 injured in Russian attacks on Lviv, Kryvyi Rih

At least seven civilians were killed and 64 injured in Lviv in the early hours of Sept. 4 amid Russia’s attack against Ukraine, regional authorities reported. Children were among the victims. Multiple casualties were also reported in Kryvyi Rih.

Photo: Maria Derhachova/Global Images Ukraine/Getty

Ukraine introduces ‘new’ armored personnel carrier, Khorunzhyi

The Khorunzhyi – which means “standard-bearer” and was a military rank in Cossack armies – has been in development for some time, and a lone experimental model was spotted on the front lines as far back as February of last year. 

Photo: Defense Ministry/Facebook

New military app is set to revolutionize how Ukraine runs its army

The latest modern solution being used to substitute bureaucratic Soviet army operations is the recently launched Army+ app, which aims to make the armed forces “paperless.” Plans for the fully expanded app are even more ambitious.

Photo: Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Death toll of Russia’s attack on Poltava rises to 53 as rescue operations continue. The death toll of a Russian attack against Poltava on Sept. 3 has risen to 52 as another body was found in the rubble, the State Emergency Service reported on Sept. 4.

Russia executed 3 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast, prosecutors say. Earlier, a video circulated on Telegram that showed three Ukrainian soldiers coming out of a basement with their hands up. The Ukrainians were then apprehended by Russian soldiers, placed face down on the ground and summarily shot.

General Staff: Russia has lost 620,350 troops since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,390 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

International response

US cracks down on Russian interference in 2024 election. The U.S. State, Justice, and Treasury departments have acted jointly against the Kremlin’s propaganda machine, seizing web domains, issuing indictments, and imposing visa restrictions against participants in Russia’s covert election interference campaign.

Germany orders 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine, Scholz says. The new 17 units will be sent to Ukraine on top of the seven other systems that have already been delivered. Ukraine can expect to receive four more IRIS-T systems of different ranges by the end of 2024, government spokesperson Wolfgang Buchner said in August.

IMF to send its first delegation to Russia since full-scale invasion’s start, Russian representative claims. The last IMF mission to Russia was in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. “We were excluded from this process under pressure from our Western ‘friends,’ and there were no further missions in 2022-23,” the IMF’s Russian Executive Director Aleksei Mozhin said.

US General Breedlove on balancing air superiority and drone warfare

In other news

Energoatom denies accident at South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant but says ‘issues’ found. The denial came after Oleksandr Kharchenko, managing director of the Energy Industry Research Center, said in a post on Facebook there had been an accident at the plant, citing “two independent sources.”

Ukrainian athletes win 7 medals on day 7 of Paralympics. Team Ukraine took home four gold and three silver medals on the seventh day of the 2024 Paralympic Games. Ukraine ranks seventh in the overall medal standings.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Chris York, Nate Ostiller,  Liliane Bivings, Kateryna Denisova, Abbey Fenbert, and Dmytro Basmat.

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