An announcement by the Ukrainian president that he will seek to replace the prime minister with a loyalist came as the country faces battlefield setbacks and a souring mood.

The country’s biggest wartime shakeup sees Yulia Svyrydenko named PM and Denys Shmygal likely to take over as defence minister.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to lead a new government in Kiev on Monday. In a post on social media, Zelensky said he has "proposed that Yulia Svyrydenko lead the Government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work.