Sybiha Appointed as Acting FM, Khmara as MD Amid Cabinet Reshuffle

Ukraine’s new Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi has appointed acting heads of the defense and foreign affairs ministries as part of a wider government reorganization, following his own appointment by President Volodymyr Zelensky amid a cabinet reshuffle.

Koretskyi, the former CEO of state-owned energy company Naftogaz, announced the appointments on Friday.

“In agreement with President [Volodymyr Zelensky], the government has appointed Yevhen Khmara as acting Minister of Defense and Andrii Sybiha as acting Minister of Foreign Affairs,” Koretskyi said, adding that “it is important to maintain continuity of work in the spheres of defense and foreign policy.”

Zelensky cites Khmara’s SBU strike-operations experience

Zelensky named Khmara, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), as acting Minister of Defense on Thursday, citing his experience running long-range strike operations against Russia and managing personnel at the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) “Alpha” Special Operations Center.

Even with the dismissal of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov – widely regarded as the driving force behind Ukraine’s military modernization – Zelensky said Ukraine will continue advancing its existing initiatives to develop and strengthen the Defense Forces under Khmara’s leadership.

Fedorov’s dismissal, however, sparked widespread backlash. On Wednesday evening, once it became clear he would not be part of the new Cabinet of Ministers, people began gathering for protests in Lviv, which also erupted in Kyiv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, and other cities by the following morning.

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Klymenko was initially offered the role of defense minister, but the plan was scrapped following major uproars calling for former Defense Minister Fedorov’s reinstatement.

New deadlines for government priorities

Koretskyi said that the government is “also reorganizing the structure of the ministries in accordance with parliament’s decisions.” According to him, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy will be restored, and a separate Ministry of Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons will be created. 

He also announced the separation of the economy portfolio from environment and recovery, as well as the separation of infrastructure from transport.

Ministries will be expected to formalize their goals under his leadership within seven days,  submitting proposals for the Cabinet of Ministers’ Action Program and priority action plan. 

“By Aug. 5, we must complete the preparation of these documents and submit them for the government’s consideration,” he said.

The purpose of the program

The Cabinet of Ministers’ Action program is meant to set clear benchmarks, deadlines and measurable outcomes, that will serve as “the main tool for assessing the effectiveness” of each ministry, and the cabinet overall.

According to Koretskyi, the document is expected to clear final approval within a month, after which it will be submitted to Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, for consideration and public presentation.

Broader cabinet reshuffle

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada approved a new government on Thursday, with a cabinet of ministers headed by Koretskyi. The government had lacked both a foreign minister and a defense minister, until Friday’s decision to appoint Sybiha as Acting Foreign Affairs Minister, and Khmara as acting Defense Minister.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was the first to resign, with 258 lawmakers voting for her dismissal on Tuesday after Zelensky signaled a cabinet reshuffle days earlier. Ukraine’s parliament subsequently confirmed Koretskyi as her replacement.

Zelensky said Koretskyi’s strength lies specifically in his experience at state-run energy companies, crediting him with reforming Ukrnafta after years of oligarchic control and steering Naftogaz through a difficult last winter despite Russian strikes.

Full preparation for the coming winter remains an essential task for the new government, alongside continued investment in Ukraine’s long-range strike capability to slow Russia’s war machine and deter further escalation.