The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has appointed Yevhen Khmara as Ukraine’s new defense minister following a proposal from President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A total of 312 lawmakers voted in favor of the appointment.
Khmara is a major general of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) who has spent most of his career in special operations. He first served in the National Guard’s Special Operations Center Omega and, since 2011, has worked in the SBU’s Special Operations Center A, better known as Alpha.
He became acting defense minister on July 20, replacing Mykhailo Fedorov, whose dismissal triggered a wave of street protests across Ukraine that has continued in recent weeks.
Khmara’s appointment had also raised a legal issue because the Law on National Security of Ukraine requires the defense minister and his deputies to be civilians. This meant Khmara, as an active-duty military officer, had to leave military service before his appointment could be finalized.
The issue had fueled uncertainty over whether Khmara would ultimately be nominated for the position or whether the government would seek another candidate.
With Wednesday’s parliamentary vote, lawmakers formally approved Khmara as the new head of the defense ministry.
“I stand before you as a civilian, discharged from military service,” Khmara told lawmakers in the Rada during consideration of his candidacy for defense minister.
Zelensky has already reacted to the appointment of Khmara and Andrii Sybiha as defense and foreign ministers, respectively, thanking lawmakers for supporting the nominations.
“The tasks for both ministers are absolutely clear: Ukraine needs more strength. And it will have it,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
Khmara is the fifth defense minister since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, following Oleksiy Reznikov, Rustem Umerov, Denys Shmyhal, and Mykhailo Fedorov. Reznikov headed the ministry until September 2023, Umerov until July 2025, Shmyhal until January 2026, and Fedorov for only about six months.
From special forces to Ukraine’s defense chief
There is no confirmed information in open sources about Khmara’s birthplace, education or family background, according to Espresso outlet. It is known, however, from an interview with US blogger and political commentator Laura Loomer that he has two sons, aged 11 and 9.
Khmara has also spoken about losing his brother in the war against Russia, describing it as a personal motivation to help end the war.
Khmara began appearing publicly only after the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. During the initial stages of the war, he participated directly in the defense and liberation of the Kyiv region. After the region was de-occupied, he carried out combat missions in the Donetsk region.
In 2022, Khmara led a special operation to liberate Snake Island, or Zmiinyi Island, helping Ukraine regain control of the strategically important Black Sea outpost and contributing to efforts to reopen shipping routes.
In 2023, he was officially appointed head of the SBU’s Special Operations Center A, better known as Alpha. His career subsequently advanced rapidly – he was promoted to brigadier general in 2023 and major general in 2024.
According to official SBU data, Alpha has consistently ranked among the three most effective Ukrainian Defense Forces units in terms of the amount of Russian equipment and personnel destroyed with drones.
The SBU says Alpha fighters have destroyed more than $5.5 billion worth of Russian military equipment, including more than 1,800 tanks and thousands of armored vehicles, artillery systems, air-defense, and electronic warfare systems.
The unit was also involved in the high-profile Operation Spiderweb, in which Ukraine said it destroyed a significant portion of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet.
From SBU chief to defense minister
In January 2026, after Zelensky dismissed Vasyl Malyuk, Khmara was appointed acting head of the SBU. He remained in the position for a little over six months.
On July 16, after Zelensky dismissed Fedorov, the president instructed Khmara to take over the ministry as acting defense minister, with plans to later submit his candidacy to parliament.
Explaining the decision, Zelensky cited Khmara’s “vast, largely unprecedented experience” in conducting “technological strike operations,” as well as his ability to manage people, which he developed while leading Alpha.
Espresso added that Zelensky has repeatedly appointed people he personally trusts to key government positions, with Khmara representing a particularly clear example of this approach.
“First the SBU instead of Malyuk, then the defense ministry instead of Fedorov – both times without an open public competition, both times by a decision made virtually alone by the president and only post-facto legitimized by parliament,” the outlet wrote.
Reputation among the military
Within military circles, Khmara is generally treated with respect.
Roman Kostenko, head of the Verkhovna Rada’s National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee, told an army publication that human-centered leadership is particularly important to Khmara.
He said Khmara personally knows wounded soldiers from his unit, supports the families of fallen servicemembers and has a reputation as an authoritative specialist among the heads of Ukraine’s security and law-enforcement agencies.
In a rare interview with Loomer, Khmara outlined his approach to modern warfare.
“We cannot respond blow for blow. We must act asymmetrically,” he said, adding that the wars of the future would be won by those who introduce innovations faster, adapt to changing conditions and save the lives of their servicemembers.
“We act according to the same rules. I trust the military, and they trust me,” Khmara said.
As acting defense minister, he said Ukraine would seek to “turn off the Russian military machine” by targeting the infrastructure supporting Russia’s war effort.
“We will destroy the infrastructure, fleet, logistics, fuel, and energy facilities and enterprises that are working for the war against Ukraine,” he said. “We are working to fulfill the president’s task – to force Russia to a just peace.”
Fedorov’s team faces uncertainty
At the same time, Fedorov’s departure has raised concerns about maintaining unity within the defense ministry’s team. According to Ukrainska Pravda, some members of Fedorov’s team may leave the ministry following Khmara’s appointment.
However, according to RBC-Ukraine sources, Khmara wants to retain key members of the team.
“At a meeting with lawmakers, Khmara said he wants to keep key officials who are responsible for defense procurement reform. Among the new minister’s priorities are long-range strikes against Russia. They also discussed raising salaries for military personnel,” the report read.
On reform of Ukraine’s Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRC), Khmara reportedly said he was “on the same page” as Gen. Mykhailo Drapaty.