Zelensky Seeks to Move Defense Minister Shmyhal to Energy Ministry

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed appointing Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal to head the Ministry of Energy. Zelensky has also nominated Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov to replace Shmyhal at the Ministry of Defense.

“We met with Denys Shmyhal. Thank you for the systematic work at the Ministry of Defense and the processes that were activated to ensure the defense of our state,” Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post. “This very kind of systematic approach is now needed for Ukrainian energy. It is important so that after every Russian strike, we can promptly restore what has been destroyed and so that the development of Ukrainian energy is stable and sufficient for Ukrainian needs. We held consultations with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, and I count on the support of parliamentarians for such an approach and for the position of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy for Denys Shmyhal.”

As of now, Shmyhal has not publicly commented on the proposal.

Denys Shmyhal is an experienced Ukrainian government official. From 2020 to 2025, he served as the longest-tenured prime minister in Ukraine’s history, remaining in office for more than five years. Afterward, he moved to the Ministry of Defense, where he was tasked with streamlining processes amid significant bureaucratic challenges.

Before joining the government, Shmyhal worked for many years in the energy sector and served as director of one of Ukraine’s key thermal power plants.

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