Reznikov's resignation, Russian Shahed drone reportedly falls in Romania: highlights

Reznikov's resignation

Oleksii Reznikov, who currently serves as Ukraine's Defense Minister, submitted his resignation letter to the Verkhovna Rada.

In his statement, Reznikov mentioned, among other things, the resistance of the Ukrainian people to Russian aggression, the initial refusal of Western partners to provide Ukraine with certain weapons, and the formation of an "aviation coalition." He also wrote about procurement reform and digital transformation in the military.

"In 22 months, the key tasks that were identified when I was appointed to the post have been completed. In this regard, I ask the parliament to accept my resignation. I would like to sincerely thank you for your trust, support and the opportunity to serve my country at such a crucial moment," he said.

Another massive attack by Russia

In the early hours of September 4 and in the morning, the Russian occupation forces carried out an air attack with Shahed-136 kamikaze drones on the territory of Ukraine.

In total, Ukrainian soldiers spotted 32 Shaheds in the sky, attacking Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. The defense forces destroyed 23 enemy attack drones. A Russian reconnaissance drone was also shot down in Mykolaiv Oblast, but its type has not yet been identified.

In Odesa Oblast, several settlements in the Izmail district were hit. Warehouse and industrial buildings, agricultural machinery, and equipment of industrial enterprises were damaged. At the same time, an infrastructure facility was reported to have been hit in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Preliminary reports indicate there were no casualties.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Shahed drones in Romania

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine claims that in the early hours of September 4, during a massive Russian attack near the port of Izmail, Russian Shahed UAVs fell and detonated on the territory of Romania.

However, the Romanian authorities categorically deny this information. Romanian officials say they were closely monitoring the attacks by Russian drones that night. According to them, the Shaheds never posed a direct military threat to Romania's national territory or territorial waters.

For his part, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, assured that Ukraine has photographic evidence of the downing of Shahed drones in Romania.

The minister expressed the opinion that the Romanian authorities decided to take a break to fully investigate the situation and draw conclusions. In this context, he noted that "there are tendencies and attempts not to [aggravate] interpretations of certain events by partners in order not to be drawn into a direct conflict."

UN sees no signs of genocide in Ukraine

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which was created under the UN, still does not have sufficient evidence of genocide in Ukraine that would fall within the definition of the UN General Assembly Convention.

"This is a strict definition... Of course, we will continue our investigations. As mentioned earlier, we have noted, for example, that there were certain statements in the Russian media that may be related to the issue of genocide. This is one line of inquiry that we are pursuing," said Commission Chairman Erik Møse.

He added that these results should not be taken in isolation from other findings of the commission, as it found a huge number of war crimes and is also considering crimes against humanity.

Other news

• Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin failed to agree to resume the "grain deal".
• Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says a day of war costs Ukraine $100 million.
• Erdogan may talk to Zelenskyy after talks with Putin, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says.
• Elimination of the consequences of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant explosion has been completed, Ukraine's Ministry of Health reports.
• The National Agency on Corruption Prevention has restored access to the Register of Corrupt Officials.
• An artificial intelligence-powered drone has been authorized for use in the Armed Forces.