by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday after a weekend in which numerous people died in Russian air strikes and Kyiv’s counterattacks, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fresh changes to his war-torn nation’s government.
In a statement, Svyrydenko said she was “proud to have had the honor of leading the government during one of the most difficult periods in Ukraine’s modern history.”
She also said she had discussed the government’s “next steps” with Zelenskyy but did not elaborate.
“I remain ready to serve the Ukrainian state and carry out every task aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s position, defending our national interests and bringing a just peace closer,” she added.
The 39-year-old former economy minister became prime minister in July 2025 after playing a leading role in securing a strategic minerals agreement between Ukraine and the United States, a deal widely viewed as reinforcing long-term U.S. support for Ukraine’s security.
GOVERNMENT SHAKE-UP
Announcing her resignation, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “changing its political strategy.”
He also revealed that he had offered Svyrydenko the opportunity to lead “a new, important area” in Ukraine’s relations with a key international partner.
“Each priority area of foreign policy will be assigned to a specific person with substantial experience who is capable of implementing what we agree on at the leaders’ level and what the Ukrainian people expect,” Zelenskyy explained.
He also announced forthcoming changes among the country’s senior law enforcement officials.
Following the announcement, Zelenskyy met several top officials, including Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, and Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
WARTIME LEADERSHIP
The overhaul, whose full scope has not yet been disclosed, marks the fourth major government reorganization since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Zelenskyy, who has remained in office under martial law because wartime elections are prohibited, has periodically reshuffled his administration in an effort to inject fresh momentum into the country’s wartime leadership.
The political changes came as authorities reported that the death toll from a Russian attack on the northeastern city of Sumy had risen to at least five.
Those killed included a 13-year-old girl, while about 30 others were injured after Russian forces struck the city with three guided aerial bombs on Saturday.
Regional police reported that the bombs hit a public transport stop, a busy roadway, and an infrastructure facility, causing widespread damage to nearby apartment buildings, vehicles, a coffee shop, and a gas station.
DEADLY STRIKES
Surveillance footage reviewed by Worthy News showed a woman shielding a child on a Sumy street at the moment one of the explosions struck.
Rescue operations continued Sunday, with authorities urging residents to remain in shelters because of the risk of additional attacks.
Elsewhere, a Ukrainian strike in Russia’s southwestern Samara region killed one person and wounded three others, including a child, regional officials reported.
Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said residential homes, apartment buildings, and an unspecified industrial site sustained damage.
Russian media identified the apparent target as the Syzran Oil Refinery, owned by state-controlled energy giant Rosneft. Videos and images shared on social media appeared to show thick black smoke rising above the facility, which has repeatedly been targeted by Ukrainian drones.
ENERGY TARGETS
Rostov regional Governor Yuri Slyusar reported that an empty tanker was damaged in a drone attack in the Azov-Black Sea maritime canal, adding there was no threat of an oil spill.
Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign against Russian oil refineries and other strategic infrastructure has disrupted fuel supplies in several Russian regions, contributing to gasoline shortages and rationing.
Moscow has responded by intensifying missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, underscoring Ukraine’s continued vulnerability to large-scale aerial attacks.
Zelenskyy has described the attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure as part of Kyiv’s strategy of imposing “long-range sanctions” in response to Moscow’s refusal to halt its more than four-year invasion.
In Moscow, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Sunday that its forces had struck the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately respond to the Russian claim.
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