**Ukrainian President Dismisses Top Aide**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Roman Mashovets, a top aide who served as Deputy Head of the Presidential Office. The decision was made on December 30.
Mashovets had been in charge since April 2020 and was responsible for overseeing the military direction of the President’s Office. However, unnamed sources close to the matter claim that Zelensky was unhappy with Mashovets’ work.
A new deputy head, Pavlo Palisa, was appointed on November 30. This is seen as a possible reason for Mashovets’ dismissal. The source also claims that there were tensions between Mashovets and intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.
Mashovets has an extensive history in the Ukrainian military, including 25 deployments to eastern Ukraine. He helped found the Special Operations Forces.
**Other Top Officials Removed**
Zelensky dismissed two other top officials on December 30: Ruslan Kravchenko, the governor of Kyiv Oblast, and Filip Pronin, the governor of Poltava Oblast. They are expected to be appointed to new positions soon.
This is not the first time that Zelensky has made significant changes to his team. In September, he launched the largest wartime government reshuffle, replacing key ministers and appointing new advisors and deputies.
**Ukraine’s Economy Grows**
Despite the challenges faced by Ukraine due to the ongoing war with Russia, the country‘s economy is showing signs of growth. Ukrainian exports grew by more than 13% over the past year, according to Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.
**Other Developments**
In other news:
* An oil depot in Russia caught fire after a drone attack on December 31.
* Ukraine has a chance to contribute to restoring stability in Syria following years of Russian interference, President Zelensky said.
* NATO allies met on December 30 to address the security of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
* Ukrainian National Police named the Russian commander responsible for the murder of Iryna Filkina, the Ukrainian woman who came to symbolize the mass murder of civilians in Bucha.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com