On 19 August, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Major General Yevhen Khmara as Ukraine’s Minister of Defence. His nomination was supported by 312 members of parliament. Prior to his appointment, Khmara resigned from military service, as the law stipulates that the head of the defence ministry must be a civilian. Among the areas of focus he has outlined are payments to military personnel, reform of the Territorial Defence Forces, drones and long-range capabilities.
Briefly about the main points
- Parliament endorsed Yevhen Khmara’s nomination by 312 votes.
- Khmara left the military to take up a post in the government.
- The new Defence Minister has been fighting against Russian aggression since 2014.
- Among the priorities mentioned were reform of the Central Election Commission and an increase in pay for military personnel.
- Zelenskyy stated that Khmara and Sybiga should help strengthen Ukraine.
How the vote for the new Defence Minister went
The «Servant of the People» parliamentary group provided the strongest support for the candidate — 193 votes out of 229 MPs. «European Solidarity» and «Batkivshchyna» each cast 16 votes, whilst «Holos» cast 13.
Within the «Platform for Life and Peace» parliamentary group, 18 MPs supported the appointment, and the same number did so in the «Trust» group. The «For the Future» group cast 15 votes, «Rebuilding Ukraine» 12, and a further 11 votes came from independent MPs.
The personnel appointments on 19 August also affected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Parliament appointed Andriy Sibiga as Foreign Minister with 266 votes.
Combat experience and service at Special Operations Centre «A»
Yevhen Khmara — a career soldier who served for many years in Special Operations Centre «A» Security Service of Ukraine. He has been taking part in combat operations against Russian aggression since 2014.
Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Khmara led a special forces unit in the Kyiv region. Its mission was to counter Russian troops and destroy enemy equipment; the unit subsequently carried out combat missions in the Donbas.
He is also said to be one of the commanders directly involved in the special operation to liberate Zmiinyi Island.
Senior positions, honours and transition to a civilian post
In 2025, Khmara took command of the SBU’s «A» Special Operations Centre. Members of the unit, including operators of «Alfa» unmanned aerial systems, took part in operations against Russian military targets.
Among such operations, mention is made of the SBU’s special operation «Pavutina», during which Ukrainian drones attacked Russia’s strategic air force at airfields deep behind enemy lines. Khmara subsequently served as acting head of the SBU.
He has received a number of state honours, including the «Cross of Military Merit» — one of Ukraine’s highest military honours. Khmara left the armed forces to take up his post in the government: under Ukrainian law, the post of Minister of Defence is classified as a civilian position.
Which areas of work were cited as priorities?
In the run-up to the vote, the new minister’s priorities were said to include increasing payments to military personnel, reforming the regional recruitment centres and developing Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities.
Khmara also plans to retain part of the agency’s key team working on reforming the defence procurement system. Specific areas of focus are to include scaling up unmanned systems and expanding the capacity to strike enemy military targets at considerable distances.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy He thanked the MPs for their support for the appointments of Khmara and Sybiga. According to him, the new ministers have been tasked with strengthening Ukraine.
