President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed Major-General Yevhen Khmara to act as Ukraine’s Minister of Defence on an interim basis. Once the necessary legal procedures have been completed, the President intends to ask the Verkhovna Rada to endorse his nomination. Khmara had previously served as acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the post of Defence Minister was not included in the new cabinet approved on 16 July.
Briefly about the main points
- Zelensky has appointed Yevhen Khmara to act as Minister of Defence.
- The President will prepare a proposal to the Rada regarding Khmara’s appointment.
- No Defence Minister was appointed as part of the new Cabinet.
- Khmara had been acting head of the SBU since January 2026.
The President’s decision and the appointment procedure
Zelenskyy stated that, once the necessary legal procedures have been completed, he will ask MPs to support Khmara’s nomination for the post of Minister of Defence. Until the Verkhovna Rada reaches a decision, he will act as the ministry’s head.
The Constitution provides for a separate procedure for this post: the Verkhovna Rada appoints the Minister of Defence on the recommendation of the President. Therefore, the instruction to act as Minister on an interim basis does not constitute an appointment of Khmara as Minister.
What priorities did Zelenskyy set for the Ministry of Defence?
In his conversation with Khmara, the President focused on long-range operations against Russia and on supporting Defence Forces units. Zelenskyy cited the candidate’s experience in high-tech strike operations, his leadership of the SBU’s «Alpha» Special Operations Centre, and his security work within the Defence Forces as among his strengths.
The President also stated his intention to continue with existing defence programmes, including direct funding for combat brigades, the deployment of personnel, the supply of ground-based robotic systems and drones, and the implementation of agreements with international partners.
The criteria set out by Zelenskyy indicate that, in his appointment decision, he is placing emphasis on the future head of the ministry’s combat, technical and security experience.
A vacancy in the new government
On 16 July, the Verkhovna Rada backed a new the composition of the Cabinet of Ministers By 264 votes. The approved list did not include the Minister of Defence, so the ministry was left without an appointed head at the time the government was formed.
Prior to this, the Minister of Defence was Mykhailo Fedorov, who was appointed to the post by parliament on 14 January 2026. The new Cabinet replaced the outgoing government.
Changes in the SBU leadership
Khmara had been acting head of the SBU since 5 January 2026. Prior to that, he had headed the Security Service of Ukraine’s Special Operations Centre «A».
According to sources within the President’s team cited by «Ukrainska Pravda», the First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine is to act as interim head of the SBU Oleksandr Poklad. Poklad was appointed First Deputy Head of the SBU in January; at the time of publication, no official announcement had been made regarding his assumption of the duties of Head of the Service.
