Ukrainian PM Shmyhal Transitions to Defence Minister Role
On 17 July, the Ukrainian Parliament appointed former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as the country's Minister of Defence.
The Gaze writes about it, referring to the broadcast of the parliamentary session, which was hosted on YouTube by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
267 MPs voted in favour of the decision.
Earlier, the Ukrainian parliament officially appointed Yuliia Svyrydenko as the country's new Prime Minister and voted to appoint 13 new ministers to her Cabinet of Ministers.
On 16 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy nominated Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal for the post of Minister of Defence, marking a major reshuffle in the country’s wartime leadership.
He emphasised that under the new structure, the Ministry of Defence will also oversee strategic sectors of Ukraine’s defence industry. Herman Smetanin, previously involved in military industry reform, will head the state-owned arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom.
The president also stressed the need to expand Ukraine’s capacity to strike military targets inside Russian territory.
Zelenskyy set a clear target for the new government: to raise the share of domestically produced weapons to 50% within the first six months of its tenure.