Zelenskyy Appointed An Acting Minister Of Defense Of Ukraine

• 16.07.2026, 19:31

Mikhail Fedorov had previously stepped down from this position.

Acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Major General Yevhen Khmara, has been appointed acting Minister of Defense.

This was reported by Charter97.org, citing a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I have instructed Yevhen Khmara to serve as acting minister, to continue reforming the defense sector, and to ensure that Ukraine achieves all the results we have discussed. Once the necessary legal procedures have been completed, I will ask parliamentarians to support Yevhen Khmara’s appointment as Minister of Defense of Ukraine,” the head of state said.

The President of Ukraine said that he discussed with the general the conduct of long-range operations against Russia and providing Ukraine’s security units and Defense Forces with the necessary resources.

Zelenskyy stated that there is a strategic vision for how Ukraine should proceed to defend its independence and compel Russia to engage in diplomacy.

“Yevhen Khmara has gained extensive, largely unprecedented experience in conducting high-tech strike operations. This is precisely what our defense efforts in this war must focus on,” he emphasized.

The head of state stressed that the key qualifications for the position of defense minister should be effectiveness in long-range operations, security work that ensures control over the situation within the components of the Defense Forces, and experience in managing personnel at the SBU’s “Alpha” Special Operations Center.