Ukraine War: Zelensky adviser resigns over Dnipro remarks - BBC

Ukrainian statesmanlike advisor Oleksiy Arestovych has offered his resignation aft suggesting a Russian rocket which deed a gathering successful Dnipro, sidesplitting 44 people, was changeable down by Kyiv.

Mr Arestovych apologised and said helium had made a "fundamental error".

The archetypal remark caused wide choler successful the country, and was utilized by Russian officials to blasted Ukraine.

The advisor is simply a well-known fig due to the fact that of his regular updates connected YouTube, watched by millions.

President Zelensky has not yet commented connected Mr Arestovych's determination to resign.

Hours aft Saturday's rocket onslaught deed an flat gathering successful Dnipro, Mr Arestovych initially said it appeared that the Russian rocket had fallen connected the gathering aft it was changeable down by Ukrainian aerial defences.

Ukraine said the gathering was deed by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which it does not person the capableness to sprout down and is reportedly highly inaccurate.

Ukrainians reacted angrily to Mr Arestovych's archetypal comments, with immoderate accusing him of strengthening the presumption of Russian propagandists. Some Ukrainian parliamentarians signed a petition calling for Mr Arestovych to beryllium dismissed arsenic a authorities official.

He aboriginal posted a missive tending his resignation and said helium had made a "fundamental error".

"I connection my sincere apologies to the victims and their relatives, the residents of Dnipro and everyone who was profoundly wounded by my prematurely erroneous mentation of the crushed for the Russian rocket striking a residential building," helium wrote successful a longer station connected Telegram.

Mr Arestovych is 1 of the astir nationalist Ukrainian faces of the war, utilizing his YouTube transmission to clasp regular discussions connected issues related to the conflict. The transmission has much than 1.6 cardinal subscribers, and his videos often person much than 200,000 views. Unusually for Ukrainian officials, helium speaks successful Russian alternatively than Ukrainian.

Before his resignation offer, his comments had been utilized by Russian officials to blasted Kyiv for the strike.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian attacks "do not onslaught residential buildings" and suggested it was caused by Ukrainian aerial defences, a decision helium said had besides been reached by "some representatives of the Ukrainian side".

Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa were besides deed connected Saturday successful attacks which Moscow said were targeted astatine Ukraine's subject and vigor infrastructure.