Zelensky Taps PM Shmyhal as Defense Minister, Names Smetanin as Head of State Arms Manufacturer Ukroboronprom

President Volodymyr Zelensky has clarified what his major leadership shakeup will look like and provided an accelerated timeline for defense reforms aimed at pushing the war back onto Russian territory.

Zelensky confirmed in his Wednesday night address that he has nominated former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who resigned on Tuesday, to serve as Ukraine’s new Minister of Defense, tasking him with expanding domestic arms production to cover at least 50% of all frontline weapons within the next six months.

He also appointed Herman Smetanin, the current Minister of Strategic Industries, to lead Ukroboronprom, the state defense conglomerate, and said the Ministry of Defense will now directly manage “strategic industrial sectors” – a structural shift that centralizes military and production oversight in an effort to shore up domestic production capabilities. 

While Zelensky celebrated Ukraine’s existing milestone – that nearly 40% of weapons used on the battlefield are already domestically made – he framed the next phase of growth as existential. “We need even more,” he said, as quoted on his Telegram channel, to “push the war back onto Russia’s territory – back to where the war was brought from.”

On Monday, Zelensky announced that Shmyhal would replace Rustem Umerov as the Minister of Defense.

Approved by the Verkhovna Rada on March 4, 2020, Shmyhal has been Ukraine’s longest-serving prime minister, seeing the country through the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Other Topics of Interest

Zelensky Says Putin Does Not Want Peace After Rejecting Meeting Proposal

Volodymyr Zelensky sent an open letter to Vladimir Putin late Wednesday, demanding a direct meeting on neutral ground and security guarantees to end Russia’s war. Putin dismissed and mocked the proposal. In his latest response, Zelensky said Russia does not want to end the war, describing Putin’s response as “weak”.

Earlier Monday, Zelensky announced 39-year-old Yulia Svyrydenko will replace Shmyhal as the next prime minister.

In an address from his office, Zelensky noted that, “The tremendous experience of Denys Shmyhal will undoubtedly be valuable in the role of Minister of Defense – this is exactly the area where the country’s greatest resources, the heaviest workload, and the highest responsibility lie right now.”

The current Defense Minister is Rustem Umerov, who was appointed by Zelensky in September 2023, vowing to “liberate every centimeter” of Ukraine. On July 10, Kyiv Post reported that Zelensky was considering replacing Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Yulia Markarova, with Umerov.

According to the Ukrainian constitution, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s legislature) confirms government appointments, and Shmyhal must formally submit his resignation before he can become Defense Minister or be replaced by Svyrydenko as Prime Minister. The vote could come as soon as Wednesday.

Zelensky, in the same address, appealed to lawmakers to support his government reorganization:

“I am counting on sufficient support from the Members of the Verkhovna Rada for the new configuration of the Government of Ukraine.”