President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signalled last week that he would reshuffle his cabinet ahead of winter campaign.
A major shake-up of the government is under way in Ukraine after at least seven ministers and senior officials resigned and a presidential aide was fired.
Among those to quit late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday were Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, who alongside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has led the drive to maintain Western support, and Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin, who was in charge of weapons production.
Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna as well as the justice, environment and reintegration ministers also resigned, as did the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund, Vitaliy Koval.
About a third of the positions in the cabinet are now vacant.
Zelenskyy, who was elected in 2019, signalled last week he planned a major reshuffle. In his regular evening address, he reiterated the need for change.
“Autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions should be configured so that Ukraine achieves all the results that we need – for all of us,” he said.
“For this, we must strengthen some areas of the government and changes in its makeup have been prepared. There will also be changes in the (president’s) office.”
A decree on the president’s website showed he had also fired Rostyslav Shurma, a deputy chief of staff who handles the economy.
The shake-up comes at a critical point in the war against Russian forces advancing on the eastern front. Zelenskyy is due to travel to the United States, a key ally, this month where he is expected to outline his “victory plan” to President Joe Biden.
Casualties
David Arakhamia, a senior lawmaker for the ruling party, said more than half the ministers in government were likely to change.
“Tomorrow a day of sackings awaits us and a day of appointments the day after,” he said.
Kuleba tendered his resignation on Wednesday morning, according to Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, who said that the resignation request would be discussed by lawmakers.
Appointed in 2020, since the Russian invasion in February 2022 Kuleba has been at the forefront of Kyiv’s drive to engage with international allies, secure new partnerships, and curry financial and military support.
Citing unnamed sources, Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday that the foreign minister would be among the casualties. Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is believed to be the frontrunner to replace him.
Kamyshin, who was appointed in March 2023 and considered a rising star in the government, led Ukraine’s effort to ramp up the production of weaponry from attack drones to long-range missiles.
“I will continue working in the defence sector but in a different role,” Kamyshin wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Challenges
Zelenskyy has ordered several reshuffles since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Last September, he sacked his defence minister amid a series of corruption scandals and more recently replaced the military’s top commander after setbacks on the battlefield.
The latest shake-up comes as Russia claims gains in the east and bombards Ukraine with almost daily drone and missile attacks despite Ukraine’s advance into the Russian border region of Kursk.
Air defence units fought off a Russian drone attack on the capital, Kyiv, in the early hours of Wednesday.
At least 51 people were killed and 271 injured on Tuesday after Russia struck a military institute and nearby hospital in the central town of Poltava with two ballistic missiles. Two people – a mother and her son – were also killed when a Russian missile hit the hotel where they were staying in the southern Zaporizhia region.
At least five portfolios have been vacant since ministers were fired or resigned earlier this year, including the important agriculture and infrastructure portfolios.
Opposition lawmaker Iryna Herashchenko said: “It’s a government without ministers … an intellectual and personnel crisis that the authorities are closing their eyes to.”
She called for a government of national unity that would end the tight grip on the reins of power held by Zelenskyy’s political team.
Zelenskyy’s elected term ended in May, but he has remained in his post because Ukraine is under martial law.