Indonesia's president picks retired general as new security minister after deadly protests

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday appointed a former rival as the new security minister following deadly protests that have been viewed as one of the toughest tests for his presidency.

Subianto, a wealthy ex-general, designated retired Gen. Djamari Chaniago, 77, as the coordinating minister of politics and security to replace Budi Gunawan, who was removed from Subianto's Cabinet earlier this month without a successor, ending days of speculation about a replacement.

Gunawan was removed after violent protests swept across Indonesia and left 10 people dead in late August.

Public outrage flared in the world’s third-largest democracy after reports that all 580 members of the House of Representatives received a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,075) in addition to their salaries. The allowance was nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta.

The protests spread and became more violent following the death of ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan, who was hit by a police vehicle.

Five ministers lost their jobs, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a technocrat who had served as the executive director of the International Monetary Fund and managing director of the World Bank.

Subianto didn't explain the reason for removing the five ministers, but analysts and local media speculated that Gunawan’s dismissal was attributed to his failure to promptly coordinate with other officials including military and police when the unrest broke out. He also was absent from meetings. The issue of his declining health also played a part.

Subianto’s decision to install Chaniago as senior security minister signals the start of his bid to reconsolidate power by replacing underperforming ministers in key positions.

Chaniago was one of seven generals who were members of the Officers Council of Honor, which was set up in 1998 amid an investigation into the kidnapping of activists opposed to then President Suharto during the final days of his rule.

Subianto was a general at the time. The council's investigation found Subianto guilty of “misinterpreting the orders” of his superiors.

Subianto, the commander of the army's elite force, Kopassus, was dishonorably discharged in 1998, after its soldiers kidnapped and tortured political opponents of Suharto. Of 22 activists kidnapped that year, 13 remain missing. Several of his men were tried and convicted, but Subianto never faced trial.

He never commented on these accusations, but went into self-imposed exile in Jordan in 1998.

Chaniago replaced Subianto at the time as commander of the Army Strategic Reserve Command in May 1998 in an extremely tense political moment after the fall of Suharto.

“Prabowo needs broad support, including from senior military personnel and the old elite who once stood against him, to realize his big agenda as Indonesia's new leader,” said Selamat Ginting, a political and military observer from the National University. He added that uniting them is not just a matter of “forgiveness,” but a consolidation strategy to strengthen the legitimacy and stability of the government.

“Those who once ‘punished’ him have now become part of ‘Prabowo accepted by all parties’ narrative," Ginting said.

At a ceremony at the presidential Merdeka Palace in the capital, Jakarta, Subianto also swore in three other ministers who were removed from the Cabinet without a successor, including Erick Thohir, who moved from his position as minister of state-owned enterprises to minister of youth and sports.

Thohir, a 55-year-old businessman and politician, is viewed as a close ally of former President Joko Widodo. Thohir is also the former owner and chairman of Italian football club Inter Milan and U.S. soccer club D.C. United. He has been the chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia since 2023.

An Islamic cleric holds a holy book of Quran over the head of the newly-appointed Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago, center, and minister of youth and sports Erick Thohir, right, during a swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia's newly-appointed minister of youth and sports Erick Thohir talks to journalists after the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia's newly-appointed Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago talks to journalists after swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia , Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia's newly-appointed minister of youth and sports Erick Thohir talks to journalist after the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

An Islamic cleric holds a holy book of Quran over the head of the newly-appointed Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago during the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia , Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in his country's eventual victory in the nearly four-year war against its neighbor.

Four apartment buildings were damaged in the Odesa bombardment, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. The DTEK power provider said two of its energy facilities had significant damage. The company said 10 substations that distribute electricity in the region have been damaged in December.

Russia has escalated attacks on urban areas of Ukraine. As its invasion approaches a four-year milestone in February, it has also intensified targeting of energy infrastructure, seeking to deny Ukrainians heat and running water in the bitter winter months.

Between January and November, more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 were injured, the United Nations said earlier in December. That was 26% higher than in the same period in 2024 and 70% higher than in 2023, it said.

There are renewed diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting.

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday and announced that a settlement is “closer than ever before." The Ukrainian leader is due to hold talks next week with European leaders supporting his efforts to secure acceptable terms.

Despite progress in peace negotiations, which he didn't mention, Putin reaffirmed his belief in Russia’s eventual success in its invasion during his traditional New Year’s address.

He gave special praise to Russian troops deployed in Ukraine, describing them as heroes “fighting for your native land, truth and justice.”

“We believe in you and our victory,” Putin said, as cited by Russian state news agency Tass.

The Russian Defense Ministry said 86 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russian regions, the Black Sea and the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula.

Russia’s Defense Ministry released a video of a downed drone that it said was one of 91 Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack this week on a Putin residence in northwestern Russia, a claim Kyiv has denied as a “lie.”

The nighttime video showed a man in camouflage, a helmet and a Kevlar vest standing near a damaged drone lying in snow. The man, his face covered, talks about the drone. Neither the man nor the Defense Ministry provided any location or date.

The video and claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian officials have denied the allegations of an attack on Putin’s lakeside country residence and called them a ruse to derail progress in peace negotiations.

Maj. Gen. Alexander Romanenkov of the Russian air force claimed that the drones took off from Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions. At a briefing where no questions were allowed, he presented a map showing the drone flight routes before they allegedly were downed by Russian air defenses over the Bryansk, Tver, Smolensk and Novgorod regions.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called the Russian allegations “a deliberate distraction” from peace talks.

Zelenskyy said Romania and Croatia are the latest countries to join a fund that buys weapons for Ukraine from the United States.

The financial arrangement, known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, pools contributions from NATO members, except the United States, to purchase U.S. weapons, munitions and equipment.

Since it was established in August, 24 countries are now contributing to the fund, according to Zelenskyy. The fund has received $4.3 billion, with almost $1.5 billion coming in December, he said on social media.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Security Service carried out a drone strike on a major Russian fuel storage facility in the northwestern Yaroslavl region early Tuesday, according to a Ukrainian security official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Long-range drones struck the Temp oil depot in the city of Rybinsk, part of Russia’s state fuel reserve system, the official told The Associated Press. Rybinsk is about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

A previous version of this story was corrected to give the timing of the alleged attack on Putin's residence as late Sunday and early Monday.

Katie Marie Davies in Leicester, England, contributed to this story.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This image made from undated video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, shows a downed drone at an undisclosed location that it said was one of the Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack on a residence of President Vladimir Putin this week – a claim Kyiv has denied as a "lie". (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

This image made from undated video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, shows a downed drone at an undisclosed location that it said was one of the Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack on a residence of President Vladimir Putin this week – a claim Kyiv has denied as a "lie". (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

This image made from undated video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, shows a man in camouflage standing by a downed drone at an undisclosed location that it said was one of the Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack on a residence of President Vladimir Putin this week – a claim Kyiv has denied as a "lie". (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this image made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, a Russian Army soldier fires from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)