On July 17, former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was formally appointed by Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) as defense minister.
With 267 votes in favor, the Ukrainian parliament approved President Volodymyr Zelensky's nomination, putting Denys Shmyhal - who had just left the prime minister a day earlier - in charge of the Ministry of Defense.
Previously, President Zelensky announced that he had completed the nomination documents sent to the National Assembly, and affirmed that the reason for choosing Mr. Shmyhal was because of his "rich experience and high coordination" in the context of the Ukrainian defense sector needing a strategic boost.
Immediately after taking office, new Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal faced a difficult task: Increasing the rate of domestically produced weapons, increasing from the current 40% to 50% within the first 6 months of his term.
President Zelensky stressed that defense autonomy is a strategic goal and the new Ministry of National Defense will play a direct oversight role in key industries. Minister of Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin will return to lead the state defense corporation Ukraoboronprom.
Born in 1975 in Lviv, Mr. Denys Shmyhal is a PhD in economics, graduated from Lviv University of Science and Technology. He has held many management positions in the financial and energy industry, from large companies such as DTEK Zakhidenergo to Burshtyn Thermal Power Plant.
His political career began to flourish when he was appointed Governor of Ivano-Frankivsk province in 2019. Not long after, he joined the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Community and territorial Development. Less than a year later, he became Ukrainian Prime Minister in March 2020.
With more than five years in power - the longest of any Ukrainian prime minister in recent times - Mr. Shmyhal has led the country through the double crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict since February 2022.
On July 16, 2025, he submitted a resignation letter as part of a major cabinet overhaul in President Zelensky's government.
On July 17, the Ukrainian parliament also approved the appointment of Yulia Svyrydenko as the country's new prime minister. Ms. Svyrydenko became the second woman to hold the position of Prime Minister of Ukraine, after Ms. Yulia Tymoshenko.
