Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba resigns, official says | AP News

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, one of Ukraine’s most recognizable faces on the international stage, resigned Wednesday ahead of an expected reshuffling of government leaders. Russian strikes, meanwhile, killed seven people in a western city, a day after one of the deadliest missile attacks since the war began.

Kuleba, 43, gave no reason for stepping down. Four other Cabinet ministers tendered their resignations late Tuesday, likely making this reshuffle the biggest since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated last week that the reshuffling was imminent, with the war poised to enter a critical stage and to mark its 1,000th day in November.

He said Wednesday that Ukraine needs “new energy, and that includes in diplomacy.” He said during a Kyiv news conference with visiting Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris that he could not announce any replacements yet because he did not know whether the candidates would accept his invitation to join the government.

Zelenskyy needs to keep up Ukraine’s morale amid the grinding war of attrition with its bigger neighbor and to steel the country’s resolve for what will be another hard winter. Russia has been smashing Ukraine’s power grid, knocking out some 70% of generation capacity and rupturing heat and water supplies.

via apnews.com

The coming winter is no joke to ordinary Ukrainians. Ania will be in Sweden finishing up her doctorate but Luke seems determined to stay in Kyiv -- unless the cold gets to be too much which it well may, given the attacks that the infrastructure has had to endure. I don't like San Diego in the winter so much if the heat isn't working. Kyiv is much worse. It's like Chicago, though less violent I suppose.

Luke was making comparisons the other day when we spoke. He recounted how he recently drove from Lviv to Kyiv. He remarked that driving in Ukraine scared him much more than the missile attacks did. The condition of the roads, the speeds at which people drive, the utter disregard for safety -- Don't do the Russians job for them, Ukrainians! Slow down!