President Volodymyr Zelensky named Yevhen Khmara, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), as acting Minister of Defense.
Some analysts have questioned the legality of the move as it comes without parliamentary approval.
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Zelensky made the announcement in a statement following a meeting with Khmara on Thursday, citing Khmara’s experience in running long-range strike operations against Russia and managing personnel at the Security Service’s (SBU) “Alpha” Special Operations Center. The two discussed the enforcement of long-range strikes against Russian targets and Ukraine’s need to better equip its military.
“It is important that there is a strategic vision for how Ukraine can continue to act actively to defend our independence and force Russia toward diplomacy,” Zelensky said, adding that “once the necessary legal procedures have been observed, I will turn to parliamentarians for support of Yevhenii Khmara for the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine.”
Existing defense programs to continue
Ukraine will keep running its current programs aimed at developing and strengthening the Defense Forces, Zelensky said.
According to him, that includes direct financing for combat brigades, a fairer distribution of personnel among units, as well as maximum supply of all drone types to the National Guard, and prompt follow-through on agreements already reached with international partners.
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Security background as qualification
Zelensky argued that, under the present circumstances, the qualities Khmara holds should count as advantages for the defense minister post. Those include results in long-range strike capability, security work, and “real experience managing people.”
Zelensky also said he has instructed Khmara to “continue reforming the defense sector, and deliver all the results for Ukraine that we discussed.” However, he did not specify a timeline for when a formal nomination would be submitted to Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, saying only that he would seek lawmakers’ support.
Zelensky’s recent cabinet reshuffle
Mykhailo Fedorov was dismissed as Ukraine’s defense minister on Wednesday, following the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has approved a new government, with a new cabinet of ministers headed by former Naftogaz CEO Serhiy Koretsky, while lacking both a foreign minister and, most importantly, a defense minister, until Zelensky’s most recent nomination of Khmara.
On Wednesday evening, once it became clear that Fedorov would not be part of the new Cabinet of Ministers, people began gathering for spontaneous protests in Lviv, which erupted in Kyiv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, and other cities by the following morning.
Fedorov’s tenure at the ministry began in January 2026 and lasted only seven months, with friction between him and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky cited as a possible dismissal factor. The tension between the two was framed as reflecting differing approaches between a younger technocrat and more traditional military leadership.
Fedorov confirmed his departure in a statement on Telegram, calling his time as defense minister “a great honor.”
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