• Luke Harding writes, though, that Zelenskyy has come under sustained pressure to reinstate Mykhailo Fedorov – whose removal as defence minister cascaded into the sacking of Oleksandr Syrskyi as Ukraine’s top general and the appointment of Drapatyi in his stead. Protesters are organising a demonstration on Friday evening outside Zelenskyy’s presidential office, and Ukraine’s political crisis is likely to roll into a second week, Harding writes.
  • A ⁠Russian attack ⁠damaged ⁠an energy facility ​in Ukraine’s ⁠northern Chernihiv region, ⁠leaving ​more than ‌100,000 ‌consumers without ‌power, a regional electricity distribution company said. It added ​that repair work ⁠would begin ​as soon ​as ​the ​security situation ‌allowed.
  • The ⁠MV South Star oil tanker was ⁠boarded ⁠by European ​Union forces ⁠after being suspected of sailing under ⁠a false flag in ​breach ‌of ‌international maritime law, said Kaja ‌Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat. Kallas said ​the move was aimed at targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet” carrying sanctioned ​Russian ​oil.
  • Russia’s defence ministry ⁠said its forces struck the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Chornomorsk, ⁠hitting port infrastructure and ⁠vessels ​that it said were supporting the Ukrainian military, as well as warehouses it claimed were storing drones. The Reuters news agency said it could not ⁠independently verify the content of the Russian statement.
  • The EU pushed on Wednesday to overcome an objection from Greece and agree a new round of sanctions on Russia to continue limiting its fossil fuel revenues. Athens is pushing for the bloc to allow one of its firms to keep on transporting LNG to non-EU clients from Russia’s Arctic Yamal facility. The 27 member states have meanwhile struck a temporary compromise to maintain a price cap on Russian oil at $44 for a week. Brussels wants to fix the oil price cap for several more months to stop Russia benefiting from price hikes caused by the Middle East war.
  • Zelenskyy said he spoke with the US envoys Steve Witkoff and ⁠Jared Kushner on Wednesday. The Trump interlocutors have repeatedly visited Russia to listen to Vladimir Putin and his representatives, but not Ukraine. Both ⁠the Ukrainian ​president and the White House confirmed the telephone conversation. Zelenskyy said: “It was a ⁠good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy and bring peace closer. Peace is needed – peace ​with dignity, and Ukraine has long ‌been ready for it.”
  • Zelenskyy said he had met the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, in Kyiv and discussed licences ​for Ukraine to make Patriot air defence systems. “Production licences, missiles and everything else that is needed,” Zelenskyy said. “I am, frankly, asking for faster action and ⁠greater support.”