Ukraine: Zelenskyy names new chief of staff

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the military intelligence agency GUR, as his new chief of staff.

The appointment comes after Budanov's predecessor Andriy Yermak resigned as anti-corruption officials launched a graft investigation.

The 39-year-old Budanov has led GUR since 2020, previously having taken part in operations against Moscow-backed separatists in the eastern parts of Ukraine, now under Russian occupation.

He became a well-known and popular wartime figure, appearing in interviews and briefings.

The new role, which focuses on political and diplomatic coordination, marks a change of pace for the intelligence chief.

But Zelenskyy framed the appointment as Kyiv refocusing on security and defense.

"Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results," the Ukrainian president said.

For his part, Budanov wrote on Telegram that it was "both an honor and a  responsibility — at a historic time for Ukraine — to focus on the critically important issues of the state's strategic security."

Foreign Intelligence Service head Oleh Ivashchenko is set to replace him as the head of GUR.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said he wants to replace the current defense minister with the current minister of digital transformation, a relatively unknown 34-year-old lawmaker.

"I have decided to change the structure of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense," Zelenskyy said in his daily address broadcast on social media. "I have offered Mikhailo Fedorov the position of new Ukrainian defense minister."

"Mykhailo is deeply involved in issues related to drones and is very effective in the digitalisation of state services and processes," he added.

The president gave no reason for wanting to replace the current defense minister, Denys Shmyhal, saying only that he would be made "head another area of  government work that is no less important for our stability."

Shmyhal only took control of the Defense Ministry last July.

The United States is expected to host a meeting with Ukraine and EU leaders early in 2026. A coalition of Ukraine's allies will gather in Paris. But with no sign of the fighting slowing down, is peace anywhere near?

Kyiv has ordered the evacuation of 3,000 children and their parents from a series of settlements close to the front line in the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk.

"Due to the difficult security situation, a decision was made to forcibly evacuate more than 3,000 children and their parents from 44 frontline settlements in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions," Reconstruction Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.

Russian forces have been advancing along the front line.

Kuleba said that, in total, some 150,000 people have already been moved from front-line settlements.

Ukrainian authorities have reported that at least 25 people were injured in a Russian missile strike on the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

Officials said two ballistic missiles hit a residential tower block, leaving the building in ruins.

"Missile strikes in central Kharkiv have nearly destroyed a five-storey dwelling," Regional ‍Governor Oleh Syniehubov told Ukrainian television.

"Rescue teams are on site. They are primarily clearing rubble and searching for people underneath," he added.

President Zelenskyy took to X to say: "Unfortunately, this is how the Russians treat life and people."

"They continue killing, despite all efforts by the world, and especially by the United States, in the diplomatic process. It is only Russia that does not want this war to end."

Thank you for following along with our blog this evening.

We're starting off with the appointment of the head of Ukraine's military intelligence as the new chief of staff in Kyiv.

There have also been reports of Russian missiles striking Kharkiv, while Kyiv denies that it targeted civilians in a strike in Russian-occupied Ukraine.