Ukraine war briefing: Mykhailo Drapatyi becomes Kyiv's top commander

Ukraine's new top military commander, Mykhailo Drapatyi, will continue to carry out medium and long-range attacks against Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this on Tuesday. He replaced Oleksandr Syrskyi after a big political argument and protests. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine's plan for long-range strikes and its programme of middle-range strikes will be done very carefully.

The news of Drapatyi's appointment came in a late-night TV speech. President Zelenskyy also offered a job to Mykhailo Fedorov, the defence minister he sacked last week. Many people protested and asked for Fedorov to be brought back. Fedorov said Drapatyi's appointment was good and brought new hope.

Zelenskyy thanked Syrskyi for leading Kyiv's defence and starting a counter-invasion. Drapatyi is respected in the army and by the public. He is seen as a supporter of Fedorov, who is known for bringing new technology. Drapatyi has been fighting Russia since 2014.

Russia has expressed sadness about Ukrainian attacks on warehouses of Wildberries, a company that Kyiv says supplies parts for drones used in the war. A Kremlin spokesperson said the situation is difficult because of losses for the company.

The UN human rights office said that civilian injuries and deaths in Ukraine increased by more than a third in the first half of this year. The main reasons were long-range missiles and drones, and short-range drones and bombs.