Oleksii Reznikov

Day 558 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week with Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker.

Zelensky made the announcement on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed after Reznikov went through "more than 550 days of full-scale war."

On August 21, Bulgaria's Defense Minister Todor Tagarev visited Odesa and met with Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. After the official talks, the two ministers gave a joint press conference. Minister Tagarev expressed gratitude for the warm welcome in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of personal contact for strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Kiev on Aug. 18 welcomed a US decision to let Denmark and the Netherlands hand F-16 fighter jets over to Ukraine once its pilots are trained to use them.

In Russia, the authorities shut down respected rights group the Sakharov Center and announced fresh international sanctions against its critics abroad.

Day 516 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

"Our government will continue to provide valuable practical support to Ukraine as long as it is needed." This was stated by Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev during the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission yesterday, June 15. According to him, NATO should go beyond the Bucharest decisions and promote relations with Ukraine at a higher strategic level.

American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, providing Kiev with a long-sought new shield against the Russian airstrikes that have devastated cities and civilian infrastructure.

Cyprus will offer Ukraine technical training on landmine clearing as part of its humanitarian assistance, its defense minister said on Friday.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who is visiting Cyprus on Friday, is set to tour areas where the training will take place.

Greece will continue to supply Ukraine with ammunition of all kinds but has refused the invaded country's request to send any of its Soviet- and Russian-made air defense missile-systems (S-300, TOR-M1 and OSA-AK).

Greece has pledged military assistance to Ukraine for "as long as it takes" but officials cautioned that the country needs to keep much of its Russian-made weaponry for its own defensive needs.