Ukraine’s parliament approved a broad slate of ministerial appointments, finalizing a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle that began earlier in the day with the elevation of Yulia Svyrydenko to the post of Prime Minister. Svyrydenko, who served as deputy to Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak in 2020–21, is widely viewed by political analysts as closely aligned with him.

While new officials are stepping into top roles, the balance of power remains firmly centralized. With elections suspended under martial law and political life dominated by Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s executive branch continues to operate with little political competition. The reshuffle marks an internal realignment of trusted figures—not a shift in direction or control.

Shmyhal moves to defense as ministries merge

Among the most significant changes, former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has been appointed Minister of Defense, with support from 267 lawmakers. A trained economist with no prior defense experience, Shmyhal takes over as Ukraine ramps up domestic arms production to meet wartime demands.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed him to increase the share of Ukrainian-made weapons used at the front to 50% within six months, up from the current 40%.

In tandem, the Ministry for Strategic Industries, formed in 2020 to oversee defense-related manufacturing, has been dissolved and absorbed by the Defense Ministry. Its former head Herman Smetanin will return to lead Ukroboronprom, Ukraine’s state defense conglomerate.

Economy ministry gains power under Sobolev

Prime Minister Svyrydenko, previously Ukraine’s economy chief, has consolidated control over the economic bloc. The Ministry of Economy will now absorb the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Ministry of Environmental Resources, recreating a short-lived “super ministry” model used in 2019–20.

Oleksiy Sobolev, a former deputy economy minister and head of Prozorro.Sale, now leads the Ministry of Economy. Prozorro.Sale is a state-run electronic auction system used for the transparent sale of public assets, including state property and insolvent bank assets.

The merger, however, has drawn sharp criticism from agriculture groups, who argue the sector is too important to be subordinated. They warn that agriculture generates 15% of GDP, accounts for 60% of foreign currency inflows, and is vital to economic resilience.

Unity ministry scrapped after corruption probe

The newly created Ministry of National Unity, which existed for just six months, has been formally dissolved. Its head Oleksiy Chernyshov was recently charged in a high-profile corruption case and released on 120 million UAH bail ($3 million).

The ministry had long faced skepticism due to its vague mission and limited practical output. Its functions are expected to be absorbed by the Ministry of Social Policy or one of its agencies.

Other key appointments

In addition to the Defense and Economy portfolios, parliament approved several other high-level appointments:

• Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation since 2019 and a longtime ally of President Zelenskyy, was promoted to First Deputy Prime Minister.
• Herman Halushchenko, previously Energy Minister, becomes Minister of Justice.
• Svitlana Hrynchuk, his former deputy, is now Minister of Energy.
• Denys Uliutin, a finance technocrat, takes over as Minister of Social Policy. His appointment has faced criticism — including from MPs in the ruling party — due to his lack of experience in social welfare.
• Taras Kachka, a trade negotiator and deputy economy minister, becomes Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, replacing Olha Stefanishyna, who is slated to become Ambassador to the US.

Ministers retaining their posts

Several ministers will remain in their current positions:

• Oleksiy Kuleba – Deputy PM for Regional Development
• Ihor Klymenko – Minister of Internal Affairs
• Serhii Marchenko – Minister of Finance
• Oksen Lisovyi – Minister of Education
• Viktor Liashko – Minister of Health
• Matviy Bidnyi – Minister of Youth and Sports
• Nataliia Kalmykova – Minister for Veterans Affairs
• Andriy Sybiha – Minister of Foreign Affairs (confirmed in a separate vote)

The position of Minister of Culture remains unfilled, with deliberations ongoing.

Ukraine’s smallest cabinet on record

With the restructuring, the Cabinet now includes just 16 members, excluding the unfilled culture portfolio. By comparison, Viktor Yanukovych’s government once included 27 ministers. This makes the current lineup likely the most compact government in Ukraine’s modern history.

Whether this consolidation will improve functionality is unclear. Ukraine has seen multiple cycles of ministry mergers and divisions over the past two decades, with no lasting administrative model. For now, efficiency appears to take priority, as the government adapts its structure to wartime needs.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ministers to boost local arms from 40% to 50% within six months as part of a wartime strategy to strengthen Ukraine’s military self-reliance. He outlined the directive during a major speech before parliament, following the formal approval of a reshuffled Cabinet of Ministers on 17 July.

Zelenskyy tasks new cabinet with weapons overhaul

Addressing lawmakers and the new Cabinet, Zelenskyy noted:

“We are transforming the management of the defense sector and weapons production in such a way that, in six months, the share of specifically Ukrainian-made weapons available to our soldiers will significantly increase. Currently, about 40% of all weapons in the hands of our soldiers are made in Ukraine. In six months, it must be no less than 50%,” Zelenskyy said. 

He emphasized that boosting domestic arms production was essential in a global environment where attention to Russia-Ukraine’s war is being diluted by other crises.

Ministers told to audit defense deals

Zelenskyy also instructed the reshuffled cabinet to carry out a full audit of all existing defense-related agreements and commitments. These include international partnerships, production deals, memorandums, and resilience programs.

The president stressed that these agreements must be implemented “100% in the interests of Ukraine.” 

New prime minister confirmed

During the 17 July parliamentary session, lawmakers approved Zelenskyy’s nominee for prime minister, Yuliia Svyrydenko. Before the reshuffle, she served as Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Most ministers either retained their roles or were reassigned to new posts. The president called for immediate implementation of the new government program and said results must be delivered “daily.”

Ukraine’s parliament has confirmed Yulia Svyrydenko as Prime Minister, with 262 lawmakers voting in favor on Thursday. At 39, she becomes the first woman to lead Ukraine’s government in 15 years—and only the second in the country’s history after Yulia Tymoshenko.

But while the face has changed, the power structure remains the same. With elections suspended under martial law and political life shaped by Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s governance remains highly centralized. Svyrydenko’s appointment is seen as reinforcing the wartime system—where real decisions are made inside the Presidential Office, not by parliament or Cabinet.

Centralized power under martial law

Svyrydenko’s elevation underscores Ukraine’s current political reality: executive power concentrated in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s circle, limited institutional checks, and governance by loyal proxies.

She is viewed as a close ally of Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, widely considered one of the most powerful figures in the country.

“We don’t have a proper functioning Cabinet of ministers. Instead, we have some quasi-Cabinet of ministers headed by Yermak, who controls access to the president’s agenda and to the president himself,” said anti-corruption activist Daria Kaleniuk in Politico earlier this year.

Strong support from ruling party, opposition pushback

Svyrydenko was backed almost unanimously by Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party and several independents. Opposition factions—including European Solidarity, Batkivshchyna, and Holos—voted against or abstained, warning that the reshuffle deepens executive control.

Former President Petro Poroshenko summed up their position:

“Replacing Shmyhal, who was ‘Yermak in a shirt,’ with Svyrydenko, who will be ‘Yermak in a skirt,’ changes nothing.”

From regional official to Presidential insider

A native of Chernihiv, Svyrydenko began in regional government before rising to key roles in Kyiv. She joined the Presidential Office in 2020, and later served as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy.

She has led international negotiations on peace efforts, EU accession, and postwar recovery. In May 2025, she co-signed a US–Ukraine reconstruction agreement with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, signaling her role in Ukraine’s international outreach.

Ethics questions over teaching income

Her appointment triggered scrutiny over her income. In 2024, she reported earning over 3 million UAH (about $75,000) in six months of teaching at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE)—more than her government salary.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency launched a probe into a possible conflict of interest, since KSE received international grants overseen by her ministry.

Svyrydenko said she taught multiple courses under separate contracts and worked outside government hours.

End of Shmyhal’s record-long tenure

Svyrydenko replaces Denys Shmyhal, who resigned after over five years—the longest serving Ukrainian PM. Sources say he has now been nominated as Defence Minister—a major shift amid war.

At the same time, it’s unclear who will replace Oksana Markarova as Ukraine’s ambassador to the US Reports suggest current Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and presidential adviser Ihor Zhovkva are among the frontrunners; no official successor has yet been confirmed.