Justified reshuffle or real massacre? This is the question that could be asked on Wednesday following the announcement by the Ukrainian president of the departure of at least seven ministers and senior officials, as well as the dismissal of one of his close collaborators.
From kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky justified this reshuffle during a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, who was visiting the capital, by the need to inject “new energy” before an autumn that will be very important for the country, which has been at war for more than thirty months. These “measures aim to strengthen our state in different areas,” he explained, thanking those leaving for their contribution over the past few years: “Some of them were our ministers for five years,” the Ukrainian president was keen to point out.
Among the officials who had already resigned, or had expressed their readiness to do so late Tuesday or early Wednesday, was the high-profile Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. He has been a leading figure in Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts to secure military and economic support for the beleaguered country from Kiev’s allies, as well as to begin the laborious process of joining the European Union. According to Ukrainian media outlet “Ukrainian Pravda,” citing senior government sources, his most likely successor would be Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s current first deputy foreign minister.
Ministers in the spotlight
Oleksandr Kamyshin, who has been popular for his near-impeccable management of Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzalyznitsia since the start of the invasion, and who was appointed head of the Ministry of Strategic Industries in March 2023 and has since overseen arms production, will also leave the government. “My task was clear: to revive the ministry’s activities in line with wartime realities. Today I am stepping down. In 2023, production tripled and in September 2024, it doubled again,” he said on social media.
Other prominent figures to be affected by the reshuffle include Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna, as well as Justice Minister Denys Maliouska; Environment Minister Ruslan Strelets; and Minister for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk. Lawmakers approved the resignations, but the Rada voted against Vereshchuk’s resignation, as did the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine Vitalii Koval.
The executive’s cards are being reshuffled, and this undoubtedly indicates a major change of direction for Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. This comes at a delicate time: Ukraine’s defenses in the east of the country are crumbling in the face of Russian assaults, Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk has irritated some of Kiev’s allies, and the presidential election in the United States, which will determine American support for Ukraine, is fast approaching.
A third of the positions vacant
A third of the posts in Volodymyr Zelensky’s cabinet are now reportedly vacant. During the press conference with Simon Harris, the Ukrainian president, who had warned last week of a major reshuffle, said he was currently unable to announce the names of successors.
However, it is not yet certain that the reshuffle is complete: on Tuesday evening, influential MP and member of the presidential majority David Arakhamia announced on the Telegram application that “more than 50% of the members of the government” should be replaced.