Ukrainian parliament to vote on Khmara as defence minister amid military leadership overhaul

Ukrainian lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s nomination of former intelligence chief Yevhen Khmara as defence minister. The parliamentary session will also address the confirmation of Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Khmara's nomination follows the removal of former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whose dismissal sparked rare domestic protests. Fedorov has publicly criticized wartime corruption, governance failures, and internal military command practices, calling for national elections despite the ongoing war with Russia.

Concurrently, newly appointed Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyj has initiated restructuring across the armed forces. Drapatyj, known for his frontline combat experience dating back to 2014, is dismantling internal patronage networks and reorganizing command hierarchies established by his predecessors to streamline military operations.

Sources: Ekonomický deník, Hospodářské noviny, iROZHLAS, Respect, Seznam Zprávy