Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 19
Ukraine Parliament Reconvenes With 2 Top Ministries Vacant a Month After Fedorov's Dismissal
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 19

Ukraine Parliament Reconvenes With 2 Top Ministries Vacant a Month After Fedorov's Dismissal

3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 19

Summary

  • Tuesday's return of the Verkhovna Rada leaves Ukraine's defence and foreign ministries still without permanent chiefs, a month after Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
  • Only Zelenskyy can nominate candidates for those posts, but he had not submitted either name before parliament resumed, leaving acting officials to run two of the most sensitive wartime portfolios.
  • Yevhenii Khmara has overseen the defence ministry since July 16, while Andrii Sybiha stayed on as acting foreign minister after the cabinet reshuffle; Fedorov said he handed Khmara a detailed war plan.
  • Street protests have continued over Fedorov's removal, with organizers pressing Zelenskyy to justify personnel decisions and preserve Fedorov-backed reforms in procurement, command accountability and drone-led warfare.

Insights

Why did Zelensky really oust a wildly popular defense minister for a special ops general amidst a grueling war?
Will placing a drone strike mastermind in a civilian bureaucratic role revolutionize Ukraine's wartime strategy or backfire completely?