Russia Zelenskyi wants to replace defense minister again
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi wants to once again fill the post of Defense Minister for the fight against the Russian war of aggression. The deputy head of government and Minister for Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, is to take over from Denys Shmyhal, Zelensky announced in his evening video message broadcast in Kiev. The Ukrainian parliament must approve the appointment.
02.01.2026, 22:01
SDA
Shmyhal was only dismissed as head of government in the summer and appointed as defense minister in place of Rustem Umyerov. He is to take on another task that is no less important for the stability of the country, said Zelenskyi. "I have decided to change the way the Ministry of Defense works," said Zelenskyi.
Fedorov is working intensively on the use of drones in the war and is working very effectively on the digitalization of state services and processes. "Together with our entire military, the military leadership, national arms manufacturers and Ukraine's partners, we need to implement such changes in the defense sector that will be helpful," said Zelenskyi.
Reorganization of the defence and security apparatus
The appointment is a further building block in the reorganization of the defence and security apparatus in Ukraine initiated by Zelenskyi. "Today we have begun a fundamental new start - internal changes to make Ukraine more stable," said Selensky. Due to problems in the past, there has been a "wave of personnel changes". More are to follow.
He had previously appointed military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as the new head of his presidential chancellery after his previous right-hand man in the post, Andriy Yermak, resigned in the wake of a corruption scandal.
Budanov's successor at the military intelligence service HUR was foreign intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko. In his new role, 56-year-old Lieutenant General Ivashchenko will continue to work on weakening Russia's economy and limiting Moscow's military potential, Selensky announced.
Ukraine has been resisting the Russian war of aggression for almost four years with Western help, including from friendly secret services. Despite negotiations, an end to the war is not yet in sight.
