Presidential Adviser Steps Down After Error In War Report

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted his resignation after spreading of false information about a Russian missile, reports BBC News.

On Jan. 14, during a regular update on the war, Oleksiy Arestovych suggested that a Russian Kh-22 missile had been shot down by Ukrainian air defenses before hitting a residential building in Dnipro, killing at least 44.

This contradicted Ukrainian reports that stated the building was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile. Ukrainian officials say that its military does not have the ability to shoot down such cruise missiles.

Arestovych's remark caused anger in Ukraine, with some accusing the adviser of contributing to Russian propaganda.

Russian officials used the comment to blame Ukraine for the incident. A Kremlin spokesperson claimed that Russian attacks “do not strike residential buildings," blaming it on Ukrainian air defenses.

Arestovych later retracted his comments, citing fatigue and noted his "fundamental error" in his resignation letter.