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The Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, voted to confirm the long-awaited appointment of two ministerial positions: the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Yevhenii Khmara was appointed head of the Ministry of Defense, while Andrii Sybiha was appointed head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Yevhenii Khmara. Photo from Zelenskyy’s official Telegram channel.
The Rada’s vote ended a month-long hiatus that began on July 16, when Zelenskyy initiated a major government reshuffle by dismissing Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and the entire Cabinet of Ministers. After dismissing Fedorov, Zelenskyy failed to communicate why Fedorov, widely associated with Ukrainian technological advancement, had been replaced, triggering a wave of mass protests.
The Counteroffensive spoke with Ukrainian lawmakers just before the vote on their position regarding the assignment, as well as with protesters who gathered near the Rada, to understand what the future of the demonstrations might look like.
After the Rada approved a new government headed by Prime Minister Koretskyi on July 16, the defense and foreign minister positions remained vacant. By law, the president fills these positions, which he did on August 18 — the day parliament returned from recess.
Yevhenii Khmara received 312 out of 325 votes in the Rada during the vote for his formal assignment as a new Defense Minister.
“I do not support Fedorov’s dismissal. But a country at war cannot remain without a defense minister. I respect Yevhenii Khmara for his military service and consider him a worthy candidate,” said lawmaker Halyna Yanchenko, a former MP of Zelenskyy’s faction Servant of the People.
What we know about Ukraine’s new Minister of Defense
Yevhen Khmara, a combat general and intelligence officer, is best known as the architect of Operation ‘Spider Web’ in 2025. During this operation, one-third of Russia’s strategic air force was destroyed at its airfields.
Khmara also led the liberation of Zmiinyi Island in 2022 and headed the SBU’s ‘Alpha’ Special Operations Center. Earlier this year, he served as acting head of the SBU. Following Fedorov’s dismissal, Khmara was appointed acting Minister of Defense.
According to the Ukrainian Constitution, only a civilian can serve as Minister of Defense. To meet this requirement, Khmara officially resigned from service prior to the vote.
“Now that all formalities have been cleared, as of this morning he is officially a candidate. There are no obstacles to his appointment,” said Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, MP from the ‘Holos’ party.
Sybiha’s confirmation came as no surprise, as he had held the position of foreign minister since September 2024 and remained in an acting capacity following the government reshuffle.
Fedorov calls for wartime elections
For over a month, protesters took to the streets, demanding that Fedorov be reinstated as defense minister. Zelenskyy offered Fedorov alternative positions in the technology sector, but he turned them down, insisting that he would only return as defense minister.
"I don't like the fact that there is no dialogue with the people. That is exactly why I am standing here, so that a dialogue can finally take place and we can reach some conclusions,” Orest Semeniuk, who has joined the protests today and a few times before, explained.
Yesterday evening, Fedorov called for wartime elections in an evening address to Ukrainians, saying Ukraine “must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to renew its full democratic process even in the conditions of a long war.”
“There are mixed feelings about Fedorov’s speech. When he spoke as someone who was doing everything possible to contribute to Ukraine’s victory as defense minister and who had introduced many new technological solutions, his position naturally commanded much more trust than his purely political proposals,” said lawmaker Yurchyshyn. ”This is a person who had been with [Zelenskyy’s] team from 2019 until recently.”
Mykhailo Fedorov in his latest public address on the Ukrainian governmental crisis. Source: Mykhailo Fedorov’s YouTube channel.
“His political ambitions could push him to try to turn the street movement into a group of MPs rallying around him in the Verkhovna Rada. This would add another element of political instability to the country,” said Oleh Dunda, a lawmaker of Zelenskyy’s faction.
Fedorov’s appeal also sparked extensive discussion among the Ukrainian public. Some of those who protested Fedorov’s dismissal are now worried that such an appeal for wartime elections might destabilize the country before another hard winter (The Counteroffensive covered why holding elections would be near-impossible). On the other side, some supporters see it as a chance to change the political system amid the latest corruption scandals.
Today’s protests near the Verkhovna Rada. Photo by The Counteroffensive.
Around 50-60 people are now protesting near the Verkhovna Rada against the appointment of Khmara. The protesters are holding up signs with a variety of slogans and chanting: “Vote responsibly,” “Decisions have consequences,” “Don’t vote for Khmara,” and “Listen to the people, not to orders.”
"I should be at work right now, but I'm here because there's a vote today on the appointments of the defense and foreign ministers. We don't agree with Mr. Khmara's appointment in particular. He's a military officer, and his place is in the SBU,” said Mark Berezovsky, one of the protesters who joined the demonstration this morning.
Today’s protests near the Verkhovna Rada. Photo by The Counteroffensive.
“He [Fedorov] is a good manager; he should be at the Ministry of Defense, but we are against the election and against Fedorov becoming president,” said protester Yurii Papovich.
“I was pregnant when the war started. Now my child is four years old, and I want a bright future for her,” said Nina Zatushivska, who also joined the protests today. "Elections are scary. It’s a very complex and seemingly impossible process. But the main thing is that we can no longer tolerate this.”
As of now, Ukraine is sinking deeper into political turmoil. At the same time, intelligence agencies reported the possibility of another massive ballistic attack tonight, reminding Ukrainians that, alongside political infighting, the country still faces an existential threat.
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