Ukraine’s military reported another wave of Russian drone and missile attacks amid an uptick in fighting. The region of Poltava declared three days of mourning after Russian strikes killed dozens.
IMF starts 5th review of Ukraine lending program
A mission at the International Monetary Fund has begun a fifth review of its its four-year $15.6 billion (€14.1 billion) lending program to Kyiv.
A successful review would enable Ukraine to secure $1.1 billion in new financing in the coming months, officials have said.
Ukraine has received about $98 billion in financial aid from its Western partners since the start of the war, Finance Ministry data showed, with the IMF a key lender.
Ukraine is spending about 60% of its total budget to fund its army as it fights against the Russian invasion. It needs financial support from its Western allies so it can pay pensions and wages to public sector employees and finance social and humanitarian programs.
Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko is expected to retain his position amid the current government reshuffle, analysts and lawmakers said.
Marchenko has previously said Ukraine still lacks about 500 billion hryvnias ($12 billion) to fund its defense for the rest of the year.
Lviv’s mayor says death toll rises to 7, including 3 children
The mayor of the western city of Lviv, Andriy Sadovy, says seven people, including three children, have died in Russia’s early morning attack on the city.
More than 20 are reported to have been injured in the missile and drone strikes.
Earlier reports spoke of three fatalities.
In the wake of the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeated his call for permission to use Western long-range weaponry against military targets within Russia.
“Everyone who persuades partners to give Ukraine more long-range capability to respond to terror fairly is working to prevent exactly these kinds of Russian terrorist strikes on Ukrainian cities,” Zelenskyy said.
