Russian invasion The fighting

Ukraine evacuates 3,000 children from the front

Ukraine is evacuating around 3,000 children and their parents from areas near the front lines in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions, writes AFP. The reason is "the difficult security situation".

According to the news agency, Russian forces have been advancing slowly in the regions in recent months.

At the same time, evacuations are being carried out in Chernihiv further north, on the border with Belarus.

Zelensky reshuffles – wants new defense minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is proposing a new defense minister. According to Reuters, the president wants 34-year-old digitalization minister Mykhailo Fedorov to replace current defense minister Denys Shmyhal.

In his daily address, the president says he is satisfied with Shmyhal's work but that he will be given a different role in the government.

Well-known intelligence chief becomes Zelensky's right-hand man

Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Ukraine's intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his new chief of staff. His predecessor, Andriy Yermak, resigned at the end of November after many years in the post, after being linked to a major corruption scandal in the country.

The focus must now increase on security issues, the armed forces and the negotiation process, Zelensky writes on X.

"Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient action to deliver results," he writes.

The 39-year-old has led the intelligence service since 2020 and under his leadership the agency has become a force to be reckoned with, writes Kyiv Independent. Today, Kyrylo Budanov is a well-known name in Ukraine and the intelligence service is considered one of the country's most competent agencies.