Rescuers at the scene of the ukrainian catering edmonton in Dnipro. Last modified on Tue 17 Jan 2023 20.

45 people were killed in the south-central city of Dnipro when a Russian X-22 anti-ship ballistic missile hit an apartment block on Saturday. Rescuers called off the search on Tuesday with 20 people still missing. Hundreds of Ukrainian members of civil society and several prominent figures took to social media in the days afterwards, demanding the presidential administration sack Arestovych for making unverified statements. They said the comments aided Russian propaganda, which frequently portrays attacks as the fault of Ukraine’s armed forces. In a statement, which did not address the remarks directly, Ukraine’s air defence forces said they did not currently have the technological capabilities to detect or shoot down ballistic missiles. A spokesperson for the president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Serhiy Nykoforov, confirmed that the resignation had been accepted. The former actor and politician was appointed as a freelance, non-staff adviser to the presidential administration in 2020.

EPADuring the first few weeks of the invasion, Arestovych was one of the most watched personalities and information sources in Ukraine. By spring, however, his popularity and perceived credibility had waned. Far fewer people wanted to hear and would believe his predictions. His statement that the war would last only two to three weeks became the peak moment for his detractors. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties.

For more information see our Privacy Policy. They stopped, or perhaps did not have the desire to analyse what was said. His critics also said that he portrayed his wartime assessments as based on exclusive information, when he was never on staff and therefore not part of the president’s inner circle. The presidential office has played a careful game in relation to Arestovych, frequently distancing themselves from him, but also recognising his viewership.